A tiny owl became a supersize symbol of resilience this week after surviving a road trip inside a huge Christmas tree destined for New York City. Today, she flew free.

The seven-inch-tall northern saw-whet, one of North America’s tiniest owl species, was found nestled inside the base of a 75-foot-tall spruce tree that had been chopped down in upstate New York and transported by truck to midtown Manhattan’s Rockefeller Plaza, to be erected as its annual iconic Christmas tree.

The hardy bird was released into a wooded area in Upstate New York today at dusk—when owls are most active—following several days of treatment at Ravensbeard Wildlife Center.

“I always get choked up when I release birds because it’s such a labor of