The snowy owl also enjoyed this parking garage. Photograph by Flickr user rho-bin.
A snowy owl that appeared in downtown DC last week wound up at the National Zoo Thursday morning after it was struck by a bus near the corner of 15th and I streets, Northwest. Metro, for its part, cannot confirm if the bus was one if its own, but the bird is recovering.
The Metropolitan Police Department found the wounded female owl and reported it to the National Zoological Police before taking it to the zoo. Upon arrival, the owl was alert and showed no outward injuries, but veterinarians found blood in its mouth and treated it with pain medication and fluids. The zoo then turned the owl over to City Wildlife, an animal rehabilitation facility where it will undergo X-rays and further treatment.
Snowy owls are native to the Arctic tundra, but come south in the winter. This winter has seen one of the farthest snowy owl migrations, according to the Audubon Society, with specimens sighted as far south as North Carolina and Bermuda.
The owl showed up last Friday near McPherson Square, but made its most visible perch at the headquarters of the Washington Post, prompting dozens of Posties to drop whatever stories they were working on to get on the owl beat.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Downtown DC’s Snowy Owl Struck by Bus
Metro cannot confirm if the bus was one of its own.
A snowy owl that appeared in downtown DC last week wound up at the National Zoo Thursday morning after it was struck by a bus near the corner of 15th and I streets, Northwest. Metro, for its part, cannot confirm if the bus was one if its own, but the bird is recovering.
The Metropolitan Police Department found the wounded female owl and reported it to the National Zoological Police before taking it to the zoo. Upon arrival, the owl was alert and showed no outward injuries, but veterinarians found blood in its mouth and treated it with pain medication and fluids. The zoo then turned the owl over to City Wildlife, an animal rehabilitation facility where it will undergo X-rays and further treatment.
Snowy owls are native to the Arctic tundra, but come south in the winter. This winter has seen one of the farthest snowy owl migrations, according to the Audubon Society, with specimens sighted as far south as North Carolina and Bermuda.
The owl showed up last Friday near McPherson Square, but made its most visible perch at the headquarters of the Washington Post, prompting dozens of Posties to drop whatever stories they were working on to get on the owl beat.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
What It Felt Like for a Virginia Marching Band to Win Metallica’s Contest
Meet the 2023 Washingtonians of the Year
What’s IN and OUT in DC Restaurant Trends for 2024
Introducing 8 of DC’s Most Stylish
Washingtonian Magazine
May 2024: Great Getaways
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
13 Major Concerts and Music Festivals in the DC Area This Spring
Mary Timony on Her Emotional New Album, “Untame the Tiger”
The Beatles in DC: A New Exhibit in Maryland Looks Back on Early Beatlemania
Northern Virginia High School Wins Metallica’s Marching Band Competition
More from News & Politics
Will Jayden Daniels Solve the Commanders’ Woes? NFL Draft History Offers Clues.
DC Area College Students Protest Gaza War at George Washington University Encampment
Here Are the Celebrities Coming to Town for the White House Correspondents Dinner
Insomnia Cookies, Picnic Blankets: Waiting in Line for Trump’s Supreme Court Case
PHOTOS: Demonstrators Gather Outside the Supreme Court as It Hears Arguments on Emergency Abortion Case
DC’s Coolest Jobs: A Jazz Detective. Orchid Whisperer. Armageddon Stopper.
Seven Miles of Georgia Avenue Will Have a Bus-Only Lane This Summer
What We’ll Miss (or Won’t Miss) About Foxtrot