Tiny Owl With Hook In Its Wing Rescued Near New York State River

*** Stock photo is a Little Owl/Minerva ***

Northern Saw-wet owls one of the smallest species of owl found in the country. Some migrate north through the state, after spending their winters in the southern part of the U.S. Though, experts say, you can find others all year round in the eastern and central parts of the state. When one was spotted in a tree near the Salmon River, with a fishing hook stuck though its wing, a local fishing guide knew he had to help save it.

NY Upstate is reporting that the 78 once male owl was caught in a tree branch Monday afternoon by the river, which is located north of Syracuse. Shane Thomas and his son said they saw the struggling bird and knew they couldn't just leave it there to suffer. They had to do something.

There was a huge hook stuck in its right wing and it was hanging upside down for God knows how long.

The son was able to pull the hook out of the owl's wing, as his father looked for information on a close animal rehabilitation center. They brought the shocked and injured bird to the Kindred Kingdoms Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Pennellville, NY. One specialist from the facility says the rescued owl's eyes look bright, and that he is on pain medication and an antibiotic. She says they're hoping he can be released back into the wild in around ten days. And while Northern Saw-wets are tiny, they are also known to be quite hardy. Hopefully, a happy ending.

If this species of owl sounds familiar, then you might be thinking of another one of its kind that became a national celebrity of sorts during the holidays. That particular owl had hitched a ride in last year's Rockefeller Center Christmas tree for three days, as the spruce was transported from Oneonta to New York City. The owl, named "Rocky", was rehabilitated at the Ravensbeard Wildlife Center in Saugerties, and then later released into the wild.