Tawny owls are the most common UK owl but face welfare challenges from vehicle strikes, electrocution, and secondary poisoning in urban and suburban environments.
Tawny owls struck by vehicles suffer acute traumatic injuries and are often unable to recover to releasable condition. Secondary poisoning causes internal haemorrhage and progressive weakness before death. Young owls that have fledged from the nest but cannot yet fly are frequently picked up by people who believe they are injured, when they are in fact in normal developmental condition and should be left in place. Unnecessary handling causes acute stress and disrupts the parent-chick relationship. Electrocution causes burns and cardiac arrest.