A family from Kentucky in the US got a bit of a surprise after a baby owl suddenly appeared in their Christmas tree. The little intruder was not discovered for four days, despite the tree being put up in the living room and decorated with festive lights and baubles. Homeowner Michele White said she had spent hours decorating the tree – which the family picks out together every year – and had no idea the owl was there. Spotting owls in the tree It was carpet cleaner Bobby Hayes who first spotted the owl – four days after the Christmas tree was brought into the living room. Hayes was plugging in equipment when he saw something stirring inside the tree among all the Christmas decorations. – The owl was literally sitting on one of the lowest branches here, Hayes said, pointing out where he had found the owl. FOUND: The small ball of feathers was found by carpet cleaner Bobby Hayes. Photo: AP After being spotted, the owl crawled deeper into the tree, and it took several minutes of searching before Hayes found it again. When he caught sight of it again, he pulled it out, and sent a picture to White. – I was shocked. I was completely stunned, she told a local news station. She perceived the image as the carpet cleaner placing a stuffed animal or decoration on the tree. “I called him immediately, like, ‘You’re kidding me, right?'” White said. FOUR DAYS: The baby owl lived in the Christmas tree for four days before it was discovered. Photo: AP The family in Kentucky has three dogs and says they use the living room constantly – and that they had no indication of the feathered guest in the Christmas tree. If the carpet cleaner hadn’t noticed the little bird, it would most likely still be hiding among the glitter and lavish American Christmas decorations. Not the first time It’s nothing new that every year we drag unauthorized guests into the living room around Christmas time. Among other things, conifers and aphids are common groups of small insects that come along. NEW YORK: This little owl was found in the Christmas tree outside Rockefeller Center in New York in 2020. Photo: RAVENSBEARD WILDLIFE CENTER / Reuters But it is also not the first time an owl has been found in the Christmas tree. In 2020, a small crab appeared that lived inside the Rockefeller Center tree in New York. The Christmas tree outside Rockefeller Center is of the Norway Spruce type, which is usually cut in the USA. It was workers unpacking the tree who discovered the owl. The owl had been wrapped in the tree in Oneonta, NY, as the tree was being prepared for transport to Manhattan. Ugla, a barn owl, was later named “Rockefeller” and transferred to a wildlife center before being released.
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