Owls rescued after being found sleeping in home

A pair of owls are being nursed back to health after homeowners awoke to find one sleeping on their chandelier and the other hanging from their curtains.

Surrey-based Wildlife Aid said it was "one of our most unexpected rescues" as it helped the pair of tawny owls which had come down a chimney.

The birds were collected and the charity's vets found they had surface-level scratches on their eyes which they likely to have been picked up in the fall.

"They're now receiving treatment and recovering well. We believe they're a bonded male and female pair, and we're hopeful they'll be released back to the wild together just in time for spring," a charity spokesperson said.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said tawny owls were the most common owls in the UK, but they had declined by more than 40% between 1995 and 2023.

The species is now on the amber list of Birds of Conservation Concern.

"Because they only come out at night, they're tricky to study and scientists don't yet know the reasons for their decline, but habitat loss and a lack of prey might be part of the problem," an RSPB spokesperson said.

Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook or X. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.