A tiny owl has enjoyed a lucky escape after he was discovered by a worker helping to prepare the giant Rockefeller Centre Christmas tree in New York.

The bird, now named Rockefeller, was discovered on Monday dehydrated and hungry but otherwise unharmed, said Ellen Kalish, director and founder of the Ravensbeard Wildlife Centre where the bird was taken.

Ms Kalish said the bird is an adult male Saw-whet owl, one of the tiniest of the species. It was taken to a vet on Wednesday and got a clean bill of health.

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
The 2020 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, a 75-foot tall Norway Spruce (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

“He’s had a buffet of all-you-can-eat mice, so he’s ready to go,” she said.

She said the plan was to release the owl back into the wild this weekend.

The owl will be released into the wild this weekend (Lindsay Possumato/Ravensbeard Wildlife Center via AP))

The tree, a 75ft Norway spruce, had been brought to Manhattan on Saturday from Oneonta, New York, in the central part of the state.

The tree is put in place and then decorated over some weeks before being lit for the public in early December.