ATLANTA, GA — For the third time in the past few weeks, an owl attack has been reported in metro Atlanta — this time on a human. But a Georgia wildlife expert says that such attacks are rare, and no cause for alarm.

Eric Thornton, who lives on 15th Street in Midtown, told WSB-TV that he was walking out of his townhouse when an owl swooped down and struck him on the back of the head. "I did not see anything," Thornton told the station. "Fortunately, there happened to be a bicyclist who was biking the other way who saw what had happened and told me, 'Dude, you just got attacked by that owl.' "

Thornton, who received a cut on the back of his head, said the owl then flew up and perched on a power line, where he was able to snap a photograph of it. Last week, a 71-year-old Cobb County woman said an owl swooped down at one of her two dachshunds when she let them outside. She ended up being knocked down by the bird when she intervened, she said.

And, in December, a family in Henry County said an owl attacked and killed their Yorkie. An Audubon Society expert told WSB that the recent cold snap may have been a factor in the attacks on the small dogs. Young owls struggling to survive may sometimes make the mistake of attacking pets, even though they're larger than the birds' usual prey.

A state wildlife expert said that, even considering that, owl attacks, particularly on humans, are very rare.

Todd Schneider, a wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, told Patch that owls typically attack for one of two reasons — for food, or to protect a nest with eggs or young owls in them.

"Most often, the attack is due to defense of nest or young since most pets, such as cats and dogs, are too large for the birds to kill and carry off," Schneider said. "Situations where a bird of prey actually strikes or grabs a pet are pretty uncommon." With humans, a bird of prey like an owl will most often swoop down, then pull up at the last minute, he said. Schneider said he's talked with several hundred people involved in bird-of-prey attacks and that in only a handful did the bird actually strike or grab a pet or person.