Pumpkin Spice is one of the Eastern Screech Owls at Busch Wildlife Sanctuary. Pumpkin Spice was brought into our wildlife rehabilitation center where our staff discovered she had a wing injury and impaired vision. Although we don’t know how Pumpkin Spice was wounded, these injuries are permanent and she was deemed non-releasable.
The Eastern Screech Owl is the smallest of all the native Florida owls. Most are about 6 inches tall but could reach up to 10 inches. These owls get their name from the “screech” noise they make when they’re alerted or curious about something.
These owls have small “horns” on the top of their heads that aren’t horns or ears. Instead, they are just tufts of feathers called plumicorns that they can raise to look fierce to their prey, camouflage into trees, or communicate with other owls.
