Dead barn owl
Dead barn owl
Dozens of dead owls have been reported by drivers along Interstate-84 in southern Idaho making for an eerie stretch of road.

Over the weekend, Nichole Miller and Christina White of Boise were driving home to Boise from Twin Falls when they spotted some road kill along the interstate.

"I saw a bird on the side of the road -- I thought it was a chicken," Miller said. "But then we saw more (road kill) and I saw the stripes on the feathers and it was not a chicken."

It was definitely, an owl, she said. And it wasn't the only one.

Miller said she and Christina lost count after spotting more than 50 dead owls during a 20-mile stretch near Jerome.

"There was more and more and more," Miller said.

Idaho Fish and Game told KBOI 2News on Monday that they're aware of the dead owls. So, what the heck is going on?

It's a simple explanation and it's not a terribly uncommon occurrence, said Mike Keckler, Idaho Fish and Game spokesman. Keckler says hungry owls are becoming victims of road kill when they target mice along the Interstate.

And, it's a deadly situation when you've got vehicles traveling 85 miles per hour.

It's unclear how many dead owls have been reportedly been killed along the road.

"It almost looks like they fell from the sky," Miller said.

A Boise State student recently published a thesis study on the dead owls in southern Idaho for the Raptor Research Center A Boise State student recently published a thesis study on the dead owls in southern Idaho for the Raptor Research Center and called it "one of the world's highest roadway mortality rates for barn owls."