Stowaway Owl Found Living in Family’s Christmas Tree After Going Unnoticed for 4 Days

Apparently, the Christmas tree can be the perfect hiding spot not only for your presents, but some surprise guests too. That’s exactly what a family in Lexington, Kentucky, realized when they discovered a baby owl living in their Christmas tree, unnoticed for four days!

The White family had picked out their Christmas tree together, as they do every year, and spent hours decorating it with festive lights and baubles. They placed the tree in their living room, where they watch TV and hang out. They had no idea that they had brought home an unexpected guest: a small owl that had nestled in the branches of the tree.

“I have three dogs. We use this room non-stop, watching TV, the kitchen’s right here, no indication,” Michele White said.

The owl was eventually discovered by Bobby Hayes, a carpet cleaner who was working in the home. He was plugging in a piece of equipment while the family was away when he saw something rustling in the tree.

“The owl was literally sitting on a lower limb here,” Mr Hayes said. “It crawled up into the tree further. It took me several minutes to even find it,” he added. 

He finally pulled the owl out and sent a photo to Michele White, the homeowner.

“I was shocked. I was so stunned,” Ms White told a local news station. “I thought he’d put a stuffed animal or an ornament in it, so I called him immediately, like, ‘you’re kidding me, right?'”

The owl is thought to be an eastern screech owl (Megascops asio), a small, nocturnal woodland owl with short ear-tufts and yellow eyes. It is native to most wooded environments of Eastern North America, from Mexico to Canada. It has two color morphs, a more common gray phase and a rich reddish phase, which provide camouflage among different types of trees – like Christmas trees, for example. It is one of the most adaptable owls in its range, and can live in urban and suburban areas as well as forests.

The owl that was found in the Christmas tree was likely looking for a place to roost when it came across the tree at the farm where the Whites bought it. It probably hitched a ride on the tree when it was cut down and transported to the family’s home. It then stayed hidden in the tree for four days, surviving on its fat reserves and perhaps some insects or spiders that were also in the tree.

Mr Hayes released the owl into the family’s wooded backyard, where it flew away into the trees.

“Everybody’s going to be able to have a merry Christmas now,” Hayes said.

The family was happy that the owl was safe and free, but also sad to see it go. They also learned a valuable lesson from their experience: always check your Christmas tree for wildlife before bringing it home!

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4