The largest of the region’s owls, this is an enormous eagle sized bird. Their prominent ear tufts and striking orange eyes, located in a facial disc, distinguish it from the eagles. Edinburgh Zoo reputedly had a specimen who lived for over 60 years.
The Eagle Owl has established itself as a breeding bird in the UK in the last 20 years, although occasionally recorded over the past 200 years. Ironically, despite looking out for them in Eastern European forests John’s first sighting of a wild eagle owl was in County Durham.
John is not sure that these aggressively territorial birds should have been given their recent protection in the UK, as they are recorded as preying on more sensitive species of raptor and owl.
Scientific Name:
Bubo bubo
Status:
Least concern
Size:
up to 1800mm wingspan
Weight:
1200g to 4000g
Life Span in Wild:
20yrs
Habitat:
A variety of wooded habitats. They are more commonly found in areas with rocky outcrops and cliffs, but they also live in open habitats that have some trees and rocky areas like taiga, farmlands, steppes, semi-arid areas, and grasslands
Diet:
Carnivore
They mainly eat small mammals such as voles, rats, and rabbits but also hunt woodpeckers, herons, and other birds, including other raptors. They also prey on amphibians, reptiles, fish, and insects.
In much of Europe and Asia and in parts of northern Africa.
Nocturnal
During the first half of the 1900s, Eurasian Eagle-owl populations declined drastically. Humans hunted and poisoned them . Electrocution and collisions with cars continue to be a problem.
