Bill Bailey bought caged owl from restaurant in China and set it free

After phoning an owl expert at London Zoo from China, Bailey said they had found a forest, adding: “We let it go and it flew off. It was a wonderful moment.”In the book, Bailey says the owl was a female Eurasian eagle-owl, and he paid 400 yuan for it, which is just over £40 today.According to the Peregrine Fund, which works to conserve birds of prey worldwide, the Eurasian eagle-owl is “among the world’s largest owls”, its “pumpkin orange eyes and feathery ear tufts make them one of the most striking owls in the world”.Bailey became the oldest celebrity to win the Strictly Come Dancing glitterball trophy in 2020 at the age of 55, partnered with Oti Mabuse.Following the show, he has presented TV programmes that include BBC show Extraordinary Portraits and the Sky Arts series Bill Bailey’s Master Crafters: The Next Generation.His previous books include Bill Bailey’s Remarkable Guide to British Birds and Bill Bailey’s Remarkable…