Mistook for an exhibit: an owl dozed off right on the shelf of an antique store (3 photos)

In East Durham, New York, customers at an antique store were checking out merchandise on a shelf when they couldn't believe their eyes and saw an owl. The bird was sleeping peacefully among the items on display.





The owners of The Market Place say they couldn't believe the bird could have flown into the store and found a resting place.

Journalists report that customers reported the discovery to the store manager. They were browsing the store's selection when they noticed something unusual among the antiques: an owl dozing peacefully next to a porcelain chicken figurine and an old clay mug.



Then the antique store owners called animal control officers. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation reported on Friday that the incident occurred on February 21.

Environmental officers arrived on the scene and discovered a brown-and-white owl perched on a shelf with its eyes closed. Officers carefully picked up the bird, carried it out of the store, and released it into a wooded area, where it flew to a nearby tree.

The bird turned out to be an Eastern Scops Owl, a nocturnal species that typically nests in tree cavities. How exactly this owl species got into the store remains unknown, and journalists have contacted the store owners for comment.