Rescued pocket-sized owl turning heads in Mass.

A tiny owl is making a big splash in Massachusetts after wildlife rescuers shared a photo of her seemingly dwarfed by a standard-sized banana. 

The little saw-whet — the smallest species of owl in the eastern U.S. — recently turned up in someone’s driveway, injured and unable to fly, according to Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Chelmsford. 

“She will be getting X-rays and a full exam so she can get the help she needs to get her tiny little self back in the air again,” the wildlife rescue wrote on Facebook, alongside the photo with the banana for scale. 

According to the Owl Research Institute, the northern saw-whet owl typically measure about 6.7 to 8.3 inches tall — around the same length as a typical supermarket banana, per Chiquita. 

In a later update Monday, Newhouse announced the newly rescued saw-whet owl had been transferred to Cape Ann Wildlife with two broken bones. Rescuers have wrapped her wing to keep it steady while it heals.

Newhouse also shared an online fundraiser benefitting Cape Ann Wildlife, whose founder is battling lung cancer.

“I can’t begin to tell you how many birds we have sent to Cape Ann Wildlife over the years,” Newhouse wrote on Facebook. “The women there have always been so helpful and have saved animals that I honestly wasn’t sure could be saved. Their time and dedication is incredible.”

Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.