Eurasian Eagle Owl
Encyclopedia
The Eurasian Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo) is a species of eagle owl resident in much of Eurasia
. It is also one of the largest types of owls.
, smaller than the Golden Eagle
but larger than the Snowy Owl
. It is sometimes referred to as the world's largest owl, but this is actually the Blakiston's Fish Owl
, which is slightly bigger on average. The Eagle Owl has a wingspan of 138–200 cm (55–79 in) and measures 58–75 cm (23–30 in) long. Females weigh 1.75-4.5 kg (3.9-10 lbs) and males weigh 1.5-3.2 kg (3.3-7 lbs). In comparison, the Barn Owl
weighs about 500 grams (1.1 lbs).
The great size, ear tufts and orange eyes make this a distinctive species. The ear tufts of males are more upright than those of females. The upperparts are brown-black and tawny-buff, showing as dense freckling on the forehead and crown, stripes on the nape, sides and back of the neck, and dark splotches on the pale ground colour of the back, mantle and scapulars. A narrow buff band, freckled with brown buff, runs up from the base of the bill, above the inner part of the eye and along the inner edge of the black-brown ear tufts. The rump and upper tail-coverts are delicately patterned with dark vermiculations and fine wavy barring. The facial disc is tawny-buff, speckled with black-brown, so densely on the outer edge of the disc as to form a "frame" around the face. The chin and throat are white continuing down the center of the upper breast. The whole of the underparts except for chin, throat and centre of upper breast is covered with fine dark wavy barring, on a tawny-buff ground colour. Legs and feet are likewise marked on a buff ground colour but more faintly. The tail is tawny-buff, mottled dark grey-brown with about six black-brown bars. This plumage may vary slightly in different subspecies but is consistently distinctive. Bill and claws are black, the iris is orange (yellow in some subspecies).
s, rat
s, mice
and hares. However, prey can be killed up to the size of fox
es, marmot
s and young deer
(up to 17 kg/37 lb), if taken by surprise. The other significant group of prey is other birds and almost any type of bird is potential prey. Common avian prey include corvids, grouse
, woodpecker
s, other raptor
s and, especially near coastal areas, duck
s, seabird
s and geese. Larger prey (over 3 kg/7 lb) is consumed on the ground which leaves the bird vulnerable to loss of prey or even predation by predators such as foxes.
This species has a strong direct flight, usually consisting of shallow wing beats and long, fast glides. It has, unusually for an owl, also been known to soar on updrafts. The latter method of flight has lead them to be mistaken for Buteo
s, which are smaller and quite differently-proportioned.
The Eagle Owl is largely nocturnal and is usually found nesting on cliff ledges. Laying generally begins in late winter, sometimes later. One clutch per year of 1-6 white eggs are laid, measuring 56-73mm x 44.2- 53mm (2.2- 2.9" x 1.7- 2.1") and weighing 75- 80g (2.6- 2.8 oz). They are normally laid at 3 days intervals and are incubated by the female alone, starting from the first egg, for 31–36 days. During this time, she is fed at the nest by her mate. Once hatched, the young are brooded for about 2 weeks; the female stays with them at the nest for 4–5 weeks. For the first 2–3 weeks the male brings food to the nest or deposits it nearby, and the female feeds small pieces the young. At 3 weeks the chicks start to feed themselves and begin to swallow smaller items whole. At 5 weeks the young walk around the nesting area, and at 52 days are able to fly a few metres. They may leave ground nests as early as 22–25 days old, while elevated nests are left at an age of 5–7 weeks. Fledged young are cared for by both parents for about 20–24 weeks. They become independent between September and November in Europe, and leave the parents' territory (or are driven out by them). At this time the male begins to sing again and inspect potential future nesting sites. Young reach maturity in the following year, but normally breed when 2–3 years old.
The Eagle Owl can live for 20 years in the wild although like many other bird species in captivity they can live much longer, perhaps up to 60 years. Adults have no natural predators are thus considered apex predator
s. Man-made causes are the leading cause of death for this species: electrocution, traffic accidents and shooting sometimes claim the eagle-owl.
, steppe
and grassland
s, may also be visited, largely while hunting in their large territories.
Farmland is sometimes inhabited and they even have been observed living in European cities. Since 2005, at least five couples have nested in Helsinki
. The number is expected to increase due to the growth of the European rabbit population in Helsinki. (European rabbits have spread recently to the Helsinki area, originating from pet rabbits released to the wild. Hares, a prey of the Eagle owls in their natural habitat, live only in rural areas, not in the city centre.) In June 2007, an Eagle Owl nicknamed 'Bubi' landed in the crowded Helsinki Olympic Stadium
during the European Football Championship qualification match between Finland and Belgium. The match was interrupted for six minutes. After tiring of the match, following Jonathan Johansson's opening goal for Finland, the bird left the scene. Finland's national football team
have had the nickname Huuhkajat (Finnish for Eurasian Eagle-Owls) ever since. The owl was named "Helsinki Citizen of the Year" in December 2007.
B. B. Hispanus,
B. B. Ruthenus,
B. B. Interpositus,
B. B. Sibericus,
B. B. Yenisseensis,
B. B. Jakutensis,
B. B. Ussuriensis,
B. B. Turcomanus
,
B. B. Omissus,
B. B. Nikolskii,
B. B. Hemachalana,
B. B. Kiautschensis,
B. B. Swinhoei,
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
. It is also one of the largest types of owls.
Description
The Eagle Owl is a large and powerful birdBird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
, smaller than the Golden Eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
but larger than the Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl
The Snowy Owl is a large owl of the typical owl family Strigidae. The Snowy Owl was first classified in 1758 by Carolus Linnaeus, the Swedish naturalist who developed binomial nomenclature to classify and organize plants and animals. The bird is also known in North America as the Arctic Owl, Great...
. It is sometimes referred to as the world's largest owl, but this is actually the Blakiston's Fish Owl
Blakiston's Fish Owl
Blakiston's Fish Owl, Bubo blakistoni, is a fish owl, a sub-group of eagle owls who specialized in hunting riparian areas. This species is a part of the family known as typical owls, Strigidae, which contains most species of owl...
, which is slightly bigger on average. The Eagle Owl has a wingspan of 138–200 cm (55–79 in) and measures 58–75 cm (23–30 in) long. Females weigh 1.75-4.5 kg (3.9-10 lbs) and males weigh 1.5-3.2 kg (3.3-7 lbs). In comparison, the Barn Owl
Barn Owl
The Barn Owl is the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is also referred to as Common Barn Owl, to distinguish it from other species in the barn-owl family Tytonidae. These form one of two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical...
weighs about 500 grams (1.1 lbs).
The great size, ear tufts and orange eyes make this a distinctive species. The ear tufts of males are more upright than those of females. The upperparts are brown-black and tawny-buff, showing as dense freckling on the forehead and crown, stripes on the nape, sides and back of the neck, and dark splotches on the pale ground colour of the back, mantle and scapulars. A narrow buff band, freckled with brown buff, runs up from the base of the bill, above the inner part of the eye and along the inner edge of the black-brown ear tufts. The rump and upper tail-coverts are delicately patterned with dark vermiculations and fine wavy barring. The facial disc is tawny-buff, speckled with black-brown, so densely on the outer edge of the disc as to form a "frame" around the face. The chin and throat are white continuing down the center of the upper breast. The whole of the underparts except for chin, throat and centre of upper breast is covered with fine dark wavy barring, on a tawny-buff ground colour. Legs and feet are likewise marked on a buff ground colour but more faintly. The tail is tawny-buff, mottled dark grey-brown with about six black-brown bars. This plumage may vary slightly in different subspecies but is consistently distinctive. Bill and claws are black, the iris is orange (yellow in some subspecies).
Feeding
It mainly feeds on small mammals in the 200-2,000 gram (0.44-4.4 lb) weight range, such as voleVole
A vole is a small rodent resembling a mouse but with a stouter body, a shorter hairy tail, a slightly rounder head, smaller ears and eyes, and differently formed molars . There are approximately 155 species of voles. They are sometimes known as meadow mice or field mice in North America...
s, rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s, mice
MICE
-Fiction:*Mice , alien species in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*The Mice -Acronyms:* "Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Exhibitions", facilities terminology for events...
and hares. However, prey can be killed up to the size of fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
es, marmot
Marmot
The marmots are a genus, Marmota, of squirrels. There are 14 species in this genus.Marmots are generally large ground squirrels. Those most often referred to as marmots tend to live in mountainous areas such as the Alps, northern Apennines, Eurasian steppes, Carpathians, Tatras, and Pyrenees in...
s and young deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
(up to 17 kg/37 lb), if taken by surprise. The other significant group of prey is other birds and almost any type of bird is potential prey. Common avian prey include corvids, grouse
Grouse
Grouse are a group of birds from the order Galliformes. They are sometimes considered a family Tetraonidae, though the American Ornithologists' Union and many others include grouse as a subfamily Tetraoninae in the family Phasianidae...
, woodpecker
Woodpecker
Woodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....
s, other raptor
Raptor
-Biology:* A bird of prey* Informal name for species in the Velociraptor genus of dinosaurs, or members of the family Dromaeosauridae in general* Acronym for the adapter protein regulatory-associated protein of mTOR-The South African military:...
s and, especially near coastal areas, duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s, seabird
Seabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
s and geese. Larger prey (over 3 kg/7 lb) is consumed on the ground which leaves the bird vulnerable to loss of prey or even predation by predators such as foxes.
Breeding
The call of the Eagle Owl is a deep resonant “ooh-hu with emphasis on the first syllable for the male, and a more high-pitched uh-Hu for the female. Each member of an Eagle Owl population can be identified by means of its vocalizations.This species has a strong direct flight, usually consisting of shallow wing beats and long, fast glides. It has, unusually for an owl, also been known to soar on updrafts. The latter method of flight has lead them to be mistaken for Buteo
Buteo
Buteo is a genus of medium to fairly large, wide-ranging raptors with a robust body and broad wings. In the Old World, members of this genus are called "buzzards", but "hawk" is used in North America...
s, which are smaller and quite differently-proportioned.
The Eagle Owl is largely nocturnal and is usually found nesting on cliff ledges. Laying generally begins in late winter, sometimes later. One clutch per year of 1-6 white eggs are laid, measuring 56-73mm x 44.2- 53mm (2.2- 2.9" x 1.7- 2.1") and weighing 75- 80g (2.6- 2.8 oz). They are normally laid at 3 days intervals and are incubated by the female alone, starting from the first egg, for 31–36 days. During this time, she is fed at the nest by her mate. Once hatched, the young are brooded for about 2 weeks; the female stays with them at the nest for 4–5 weeks. For the first 2–3 weeks the male brings food to the nest or deposits it nearby, and the female feeds small pieces the young. At 3 weeks the chicks start to feed themselves and begin to swallow smaller items whole. At 5 weeks the young walk around the nesting area, and at 52 days are able to fly a few metres. They may leave ground nests as early as 22–25 days old, while elevated nests are left at an age of 5–7 weeks. Fledged young are cared for by both parents for about 20–24 weeks. They become independent between September and November in Europe, and leave the parents' territory (or are driven out by them). At this time the male begins to sing again and inspect potential future nesting sites. Young reach maturity in the following year, but normally breed when 2–3 years old.
Apex predator
Apex predators are predators that have no predators of their own, residing at the top of their food chain. Zoologists define predation as the killing and consumption of another organism...
s. Man-made causes are the leading cause of death for this species: electrocution, traffic accidents and shooting sometimes claim the eagle-owl.
Habitats
Eagle Owls are distributed sparsely through a wide range of habitats. They have been found in habitats as diverse as Northern coniferous forests to the edge of vast deserts. Rocky areas seem to be favored, with cliffs and mountains abutting woodland usually containing the largest numbers of these owls. TaigaTaiga
Taiga , also known as the boreal forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests.Taiga is the world's largest terrestrial biome. In North America it covers most of inland Canada and Alaska as well as parts of the extreme northern continental United States and is known as the Northwoods...
, steppe
Steppe
In physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...
and grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
s, may also be visited, largely while hunting in their large territories.
Farmland is sometimes inhabited and they even have been observed living in European cities. Since 2005, at least five couples have nested in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
. The number is expected to increase due to the growth of the European rabbit population in Helsinki. (European rabbits have spread recently to the Helsinki area, originating from pet rabbits released to the wild. Hares, a prey of the Eagle owls in their natural habitat, live only in rural areas, not in the city centre.) In June 2007, an Eagle Owl nicknamed 'Bubi' landed in the crowded Helsinki Olympic Stadium
Helsinki Olympic Stadium
The Helsinki Olympic Stadium , located in the Töölö district about from the center of the Finnish capital Helsinki, is the largest stadium in the country, nowadays mainly used for hosting sports events and big concerts. The stadium is best known for being the center of activities in the 1952...
during the European Football Championship qualification match between Finland and Belgium. The match was interrupted for six minutes. After tiring of the match, following Jonathan Johansson's opening goal for Finland, the bird left the scene. Finland's national football team
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....
have had the nickname Huuhkajat (Finnish for Eurasian Eagle-Owls) ever since. The owl was named "Helsinki Citizen of the Year" in December 2007.
Subspecies
B. B. Bubo,B. B. Hispanus,
B. B. Ruthenus,
B. B. Interpositus,
B. B. Sibericus,
B. B. Yenisseensis,
B. B. Jakutensis,
B. B. Ussuriensis,
B. B. Turcomanus
Turkmenian Eagle Owl
The Turkmenian Eagle Owl is a subspecies of the slightly larger Eurasian Eagle Owl. It's diet consists of Mammals, ranging in size from small rodents to hares, and like most larger owls, they eat voles. They are native to Kazakstan and seek habitats with rocky landscapes, trees, groves and...
,
B. B. Omissus,
B. B. Nikolskii,
B. B. Hemachalana,
B. B. Kiautschensis,
B. B. Swinhoei,
External links
- Eurasian Eagle-Owl
- Eurasian Eagle-Owl and other owl pictures
- Eurasian Eagle-Owl Description, photos and calls
- Ageing and sexing (PDF) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta