Rare exotic owl is sitting on bins and eating rats in Bermondsey

An exotic owl native to the Americas has been spotted perched atop a bin on Bermondsey’s Bonamy Estate.

The Great Horned Owl, affectionately named ‘Jazz’ by locals, is believed to have escaped from an owner in the UK.

The huge bird, which is roughly 56cm tall, reportedly had some run-ins with local crows before settling down in Bermondsey.

First spotted in the Russia Dock Woodland in May, the bird of prey, capable of hunting mammals as large as skunks, is believed to be living off rats and mice.

The owl perched on a fence on a Rotherhithe estate

Rotherhithe naturalist John Cadera said: “It was quite a bizarre event. Somebody sent me a video of a large owl in Russia Dock Woodland and within an hour we got to see the bird and try to establish its identity.

“The owl was being mobbed by some crows and magpies which is very typical behaviour from these birds that seem to hate owls.”

At first, John believed it could be a Eurasian Eagle Owl but later established that it was the closely-related Great Horned Owl.

Asked about the owl’s welfare, he said: “If it’s worked out how to catch rats it will probably be fine.”

Great Horned Owls are native to North and South America and have been known to grow well over 60cm.

The owl hiding in a tree on the Bonamy Estate

It is the heaviest owl in south America and has a wingspan of approximately 4.5 feet.

Due to its tremendous size, locals believe Jazz must be a female – which tend to be larger than males.

Given Great Horned Owls are normally separated from the UK by 5,570km of Atlantic Ocean, John believes it must have escaped from a UK-based owner.

He said: “Ship assisted is not impossible but in this case, the bird is definitely an escape.”

There are unconfirmed rumours that a man is missing an owl in Ilford although nobody has claimed ownership of Jazz.

Captive owls normally have ties called ‘jesses’ on their feet and none are clearly visible on Bermondsey’s visitor.

John believes the owl’s discovery is Southwark’s most exciting bird event since 1973 – when he and his friends found a Red-bill Blue Magpie in the Southwark Park playground.

In March this year, a rescue centre in Cornwall caught a Great Horned Owl which had been left to fend for itself after its Devon owner fell ill and released it into the wild.