Lost youngster: About 1 year old, short, with a wingspan about 3 feet wide. Cute, friendly. Hides well.

Willow the barn owl has been missing since she flew away from a handler Sunday at Wildlife Images Rehabilitation and Education Center near Grants Pass. She was wearing ankle restraints and trailing a cord a few feet long.

As of Tuesday morning, she still hadn’t come home. Wildlife Images personnel have been out on foot, on horseback and in vehicles searching for her.

“She is likely pretty hungry,” Ben Maki, Wildlife Images spokesman, said Tuesday. “She doesn’t necessarily have the hunting skills that a normal barn owl has.”

Willow herself might be viewed as food by ravens, eagles and hawks, according to Maki.

“She is prey to a lot of birds in the area,” he said.

Wildlife Images personnel have stayed the night hoping for her return. They’ve searched neighboring properties, including along the nearby Rogue River. Live baited traps have been set.

The public is being asked to not come look for the bird, according to a message posted to the center’s social media page.

“The best thing you can do is keep the area calm and quiet to aid our staff in the search,” the message stated.

Maki said Willow might be hard to spot. She’s light brown and a bit over a foot tall.

“We know how hard they are to see in the wild,” he said. “They like to hide in perches. She might be hiding in a little nook.”

Barn owls live 7-10 years in the wild and up to 20 years in human care. Willow came to the center from the World Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis, where she was hatched for the purpose of being used for education.

“She’s one of our more popular birds,” Maki said. “She’s very adjusted to people. She’s friendly and likes interacting with people.”

She’s strong, too, with claws that can grip, and a beak that can hold and shred. The public is asked to stay away from Willow if she is spotted.

“She might land on you trying to get food,” Maki said.

Wildlife Images personnel were still out searching Tuesday, he said.

“They’re not giving up.”

The center is located about 12 miles west of Grants Pass, at 11845 Lower River Road. About 30,000 people visit the facility a year.