# Creatures great and small



## nabisho (Nov 18, 2004)

Got some new patients in recently. This little fellow is a Pygmy Owl (also known as a Dwarf Owl) He's was only 1.5 oz. and was found standing in the middle of the road in a rainstorm starving and getting ready to freeze to death. Probably came out in search of food and got caught up the the downpour. Some lady saw him and stopped and picked him up. These little fellows are fierce and can carry 3 times their weight in food. They can carry off a chipmunk or voles with ease. He's going to be fine now, he will have a nice safe place to winter and a fresh mouse all for himself everyday until spring. That's a penny in the foreground.










Just for comparison here's one of the Great Horned Owls we rescued a while back, she's a big gal stands about 12 inches high.










This little lady is an Eastern Bobwhite, we're not sure what she's is doing in Reno but somebody found her in a park and was able to pick her up, she was starving too. She is very tame and not afraid of people so we suspect she was somebody's pet that was released or escaped.










NAB


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Such pretty birds! And that Pigmy owl is so adorable 

That quail appears to be a Coturnix, which are domestic here. Definitely wouldn't have lasted long if she hadn't been found.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Such lovely birds,Nab.....

They are so beautiful. I love that tiny owl.

I always look forward to your threads.

Thank you so much for sharing with us and helping His creatures.


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

Treesa took the words right off my keyboard!

I, too, _always_ enjoy your threads/posts, Nab! You and Nancy do such a terrific job with these cute, beautiful and unusual rescues!

AND, the good news is that they most always survive under the expert care they receive. 

Thank you for the lovely clear pictures. Those birds are beautiful and as cute as can be!

SENDING ALL OUR BEST WITH _LOVE _AND _HUGS_

Shi/Mr. Squeaks/Dom/Gimie/WoeBeGone


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## pigeonmama (Jan 9, 2005)

NAB,
Thanks for the great pictures.
Daryl


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Great photos and rescues, NAB! Thank you for sharing with us. Have a look at Japanese Coturnix Quail (they are exotic/domestic) .. I think that's what the quail might be. Some are wild and crazy little birds and others are quite tame and friendly.

I also always enjoy your posts and pictures. Our best to you and Nancy for the VERY soon to be baby season!

Terry


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## Mindy (Apr 2, 2009)

Nab, enjoyed the pictures. The owls are beautiful and the quail. Whenever I see that you post, your always the first thread I visit because I know I will get to see great pictures of birds I never get to see. You really shouldl write a book about your life and the animals and birds that you have cared for. It would be a great story. min


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

GREAT idea, Mindy!!

Proceeds from the book could help your rescue organization, Nab! 

Love and Hugs
Shi


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

They are adorable. Great pics.
I too enjoy your posts.

Reti


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## Margarret (May 3, 2007)

Loved your posts of the owls and the quail. I love it when you post. You get some of the most interesting patients. I thought of you a couple of weeks ago when I went to pick up a rescued pelican. I'd never been up close and personal to one before, and this was just a smaller brown one. Those white ones you have had in the past are whoppers. Even so, this girl sure could eat! Put away about four lbs. of fresh fish in the blink of an eye. She had a pretty impressive output as well. LOL I only had her overnight, just long enough to get her to a licensed rehabber. Her prognosis was good. Exhaustion from trying to fly in the storm and high winds. She had a broken toe and couldn't fly when found. The rehabber thought a couple of weeks of R&R and she would be good to go.

Margaret


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Awwww! That is definitely a coturnix/bobwhite/pharaoh quail, and male at that. The females are yellow. Soon he will start making crowing noises if he doesn't already. Had one named Burt Bacharach as he crowed "BURT BACHARACH" or similar sounds at the top of his lungs. Over time I've had more than two dozen. They love dust baths--chinchilla dust works well and meal worms.  He would be safe in with doves as well, as long as you don't have any overly mean doves.  You can keep a few females to one male--actually it is preferred, if you have access to any. They make really sweet pets and will sit on your lap like a pigeon for hours.


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## Keith C. (Jan 25, 2005)

It is a female coturnix quail, which are also commomly known as pharoah quail.
It is the same color as the wild type and you can tell it a female by the round spots on the upper breast.
A male of this color type has skinny spots and much more red.
I used to ship around 1250 quail eggs, for hatching every week.
I had 27 colors of button quail, which is in the same familly, 5 colors of coturnix, valley, Gambel, bluescale and 4 colors of Northern bobwhite quail plus chukar and hungarian partridge.
The members of the coturnix familly are great for genetic studies because they reach sexual maturity at 6 weeks of age.
Coturnix males have actually fertilized chicken and turkey eggs and produced sterile offsping.
Japanese men used to keep female coturnix in little cages that they hung on pegs on their belts for good luck, since the hens sound similar to crickets.
Coturnix are by nature extremely tame.
Except for their short life spans, they make good pets.
Keith


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## c.hert (Jan 15, 2010)

Your pictures are so interesting and just fun to experience puts a good feeling on to the day---Thanks C.hert


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Keith C. said:


> It is a female coturnix quail, which are also commomly known as pharoah quail.
> It is the same color as the wild type and you can tell it a female by the round spots on the upper breast.
> A male of this color type has skinny spots and much more red.
> 
> ...


Great info, Keith! Thank you very much. I get these little quail in fairly frequently, and I love them. I don't have a good setup for them, so they go and live with my friend, Bart, in Norco.

Terry


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## bluebirdsnfur (Jan 20, 2009)

What a cute little bugger! I too always enjoy your rescue pictures and stories.


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

Didn't realize that owls had such a range in size!


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