From Blackland Prairie Raptor Center

It’s not always obvious why a bird isn’t feeling well, so we run blood work on the majority of birds that come in, to help us figure out what’s wrong. This barred owl was lethargic with no obvious reason why but it had a surprise in its blood. It had parasites in its red blood cells. The pointer in the picture below is pointing to a red blood cell filled with a parasite. With supportive care this barred owl is clearing the parasites from its blood and is active again!