A tawny owl chick had a lucky escape after it was found in the middle of a busy road in the pouring rain.
The three-week-old owlet is believed to have fallen from his nest in tall trees by the side of the road in Beckenham, south east London, last week, an RSPCA spokeswoman said.
He was uninjured but very wet, cold and scared when he was discovered by 30-year-old Ruth Thomas, the spokeswoman added.
The owlet is now being cared for at the RSPCA's Mallydams Wood centre in Fairlight, near Hastings, East Sussex.
Thomas said: "The poor little thing was right in the road and cars were swerving round him, I am not sure they realised exactly what he was.
"He was not safe there so I picked him up. He was completely soaked through and seemed very lethargic and weak - unable to conserve his energy.
"Although I know that normally you should not remove baby animals, on this occasion it seemed the only thing to do.
"He was gorgeous - I love owls and it was quite a surprise to find one in the middle of the street in south east London. It's just a shame that it was not in nicer circumstances."
Thomas, who is studying animal welfare, took the owl home and put him in a cat carrier where she warmed him up using microwaveable heat pads.
She took him to Folly Wildlife Centre in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, the next day, and he was later transferred to Mallydams for further care.
Richard Thompson, rehabilitation manager at Mallydams, said the young owl was doing well and feeding for himself but because he is so young he will not be released back into the wild for a couple of months.
He said: "In this case it sounds as if she did the right thing by getting help for this owl chick, but in general we recommend that people think twice and seek advice before removing baby animals from the wild.
"We get hundreds brought into our centres every spring by well-meaning members of the public who mistakenly think they need help.
"Often the parents are close by and the young animals normally have a better chance of survival if they remain in the wild.
"Tawny owls can be left at the foot of the tree for their parents to rescue them - although in this case the chick was cold and far too near a major road."