Eagle Owl

Bubo Bubo

The Eagle Owl had brown-black upper parts and tawny-buff ear tufts. Its facial disc is tawny-buff, speckled black-brown with dense freckling on the forehead and crown. The Eagle Owl has a black bill and claws, and the iris of its eyes is orange.
The female weighs from 80.4 to 158 ounces and the male weighs from 57.1 to 105.8 ounces. They both stand about 22.8 to 28 inches tall. The females’ call is slightly higher than the males.

These owls prey on the ground or in full flight. They prefer hunting in open spaces and will eat almost anything that moves. Their diet includes votes, rats, mice, foxes, hares, birds, crows, ducks, grouse, seabirds, snakes, lizards, frogs, fish, crabs, and sometimes other owls!

Nest sites are sheltered cliff ledges, inbetween rocks, and abandoned nests of other large birds. No nesting material is added. Eagle Owls lay eggs in late winter, and usually lay one clutch per year of 1 to 4 eggs. A clutch is a nest of eggs or a brood of chicks. Babies leave the ground nests between 22 and 25 days old and elevated nests at 5 to 7 weeks old.

In captivity, Eurasian Eagle Owls will live as long as 60 years. In the wild they will live only 20 years. Causes of death include electrocution from high wires, traffic collisions, and shootings.

The Eagle Owls’ habitat varies drastically from dense forests to deserts, and they can be found in North Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Source:       TheOwlPages.com