Although people living in the Hampshire area of England are complaining about the loud mating calls – the classic "twittwoo" of a tawny owl that lives in the neighborhood – owner Wendy Whitfield is doing everything she can to save her aging pet's life.
"Twixx calls to see if there are any other owls in the area and there is one female who talks to him quite a bit," Whitfield, 61, told the London Times online.
"She sits in a tree near Twixx's cage, and he does appear to let out a mating call, which she responds to. Unfortunately, he can never be let out of his cage because he wouldn't survive in the wild."
Tawny owls are small- to medium-sized birds of prey who dwell in dense forests and woodland areas throughout Great Britain, other parts of Europe and Asia. They spend the daylight hours roosting in trees.
At night, they can be heard hooting and screeching to communicate with other tawny owls to mark their territory and to secure a mate.
A spokesperson for Eastleigh Borough Council, a neighborhood association in Hampshire, told the British newspaper they are working with Whitfield but are obligated to investigate any noise issues.
If Whitfield does not remove the owl from her garden, which is near a block of homes, she could face a fine of 5,000 pounds (or $7,978).
Moreover, the bird lover, who has kept captive owls for two decades, is worried that others will fail to see the creature's value, since he is getting old and can no longer breed. To date, there are only about 19,400 pairs of tawny owl living in the United Kingdom, according to the Hawk and Owl Trust.
In the end, Whitfield will do what she believes is best for the flirty owl, which includes finding him a new home.
"If we can't have him rehomed we either have to put him down or go to court and take our chances," she told the newspaper.
Stay tuned.
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