The eagle owl is a legendary bird. Although "legend" has long been overused, it is really no exaggeration to use it on the Eagle Owl.

Since I was a child, I have known about this huge owl called "Hateful Fox", which is said to be half a man tall. But it wasn’t until I was 20 years old that I saw its generous back in the wilderness for the first time. As for seeing the Eagle Owl clearly, that came later.

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Owl photo source/eunis.eea.europa.eu

Owl as big as an eagle

There are more than 200 species of owl-shaped birds in the world. Among them, the eagle owl belongs to the Hidden Dragon and Crouching Tiger genus, and almost all the "heavyweight" owls are concentrated under this genus. Yes, the northernmost snowy owl, the heaviest hairy-legged fishing owl, and the "great horned owl" with the strongest grip among birds are all under the genus of the eagle owl. They all have the common genus name "Bubo".

The protagonist of this article is the Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo), or the Eurasian Eagle Owl. For convenience, the eagle owl mentioned in the article refers specifically to the Eurasian eagle owl.

The Eagle Owl is widely distributed in Eurasia. Except for the tundra zone around the Arctic Circle and the rainforest belt in Southeast Asia, the Eagle Owl is its territory. This species does not have strict habitat requirements, except for one thing, human interference should not be too serious.

Because the distribution is so wide and the eagle owl does not migrate very much, there are more than 13 subspecies of the eagle owl in the world, and the specific classification is still controversial.

On average, the largest existing owl in the world is the eagle owl, with a body length of 58~71 cm, a weight of 1.55~4.2kg, and a wingspan of 160~188cm (please forgive the slight discrepancy in data from different sources) . It seems to be a tough opponent, but the hairy-legged fishing owl is slightly better in terms of weight. There is nothing we can do about it, because some subspecies of the eagle owl are indeed quite small. If we consider individual cases, there are also eagle owls with weight records that are not inferior to those of the hairy-legged fishing owls.

The owl, as big as an eagle, must be the lord of the wilderness and the king of the night.

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Image source of the Eagle Owl distribution map/IUCN Redlist

Nightlife of the Eagle Owl

The Eagle Owl is mainly active at night, but not exclusively.

From winter to early spring, the Eagle Owl is the most visible period of the year. Before it gets dark, the male eagle owl appears at the high point in the territory, singing a beautiful love song and a rather intimidating roar. The low "woohoo~" can spread far and wide. Most of the Chinese folk names for the eagle owl come from this: "Hate Fox", "Heng Hu", etc. I was lucky enough to hear the call of the eagle owl in my hometown during the Spring Festival. It was really energetic and regal.

When singing or excited, the eagle owl's white throat becomes more conspicuous due to vibrations. It is generally believed that this is a visual signal with a clear meaning, warning others of the same species to leave quickly. One night, an eagle owl stood on the chimney of a village house, and it disappeared suddenly. Through the residual light of the car lights, I captured the only two impressions, the big one and the white throat.

Research shows that the hunting activities of eagle owls are mainly concentrated in the hours around dawn and dusk. During this period, they rely more on visual hunting, which is similar to the activity rhythm of most carnivores. Owls with excellent hearing, such as long-eared owls, ghost owls, barn owls, gray forest owls, etc., can move throughout the night and can locate their prey just by sound.

A large number of studies show that small mammals are still the staple food of eagle owls.

However, due to its huge size advantage, the Eagle Owl has a very wide range of food options. To put it into perspective, eagle owls will eat anything they can hunt and get their hands on.

Animals ranging in size from mice to rabbits, birds ranging in size from jays to herons, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and beetles are all on the list. To be more specific, in some areas rats are the staple food, in some areas rabbits are the staple food, and in some areas hedgehogs are the staple food; in the study in Mongolia, a quarter of the food of the eagle owl is birds, and the most common bird among them is the sparrow hawk . When food is scarce, the weakest chicks will be eaten. As for going to the countryside to steal chickens, geese, and pigeons, that's no big deal.

When hunting, the eagle owl likes to stand at a high place with a wide field of vision, wait for its prey to appear, and then launch a silent attack. They were also observed catching birds and bats in the air; they would also rush into the water like an osprey to catch fish; they would also catch crows in their nests at night. Regardless of whether they were young or old, whoever they caught would be unlucky. So the corvids' hatred of birds of prey is quite reasonable.

On nights when the moon is shining brightly, the now independent eagle owls will wander away from home until they find a permanent territory of their own. Bird watching friends can also pay attention to whether the Eagle Owl appears in the city on the nights of the full moon.

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Owl Photography/Author

Breeding of Eagle Owls

Once a territory is determined, Eagle Owls will live here all year round. Only in winter on the Tibetan Plateau and high latitudes do eagle owls migrate short distances due to food shortages. But this phenomenon rarely happens.

The mate relationship between eagle owls lasts almost a lifetime.

They begin to breed in early spring in February. Due to latitude differences, different regions have a slight order. The male will select several alternative nest sites within the territory, usually in depressions on the cliff, but the decision lies with the female. In areas with fewer suitable nest sites, eagle owls occasionally use old nests of common buzzards, golden eagles, black eagles, white-tailed sea eagles, ravens, and black storks.

At the end of February, there were 2 to 4 eggs in the nest. From then on, the female eagle owl never left the door and hatched eggs full-time. The smaller males carry food. A month later, the chicks hatched one after another. But the female remains in the nest until the chicks are strong enough to withstand the cold, two weeks later. After three weeks, the chicks will eat on their own and no longer need to be fed mouth-to-mouth.

From this time on, the female eagle owl begins to gradually resume work after giving birth, bringing back larger prey. The small male eagle owl dared not speak out in anger, after all, it couldn't be beaten. Not only is it the largest owl, but its chicks develop the fastest among all owls. Eagle owl parents have a hard time. When food is scarce, late-born pups may be eaten.

It can walk around in 25 days, leave the nest in 5 to 6 weeks, fly short distances in 7 to 8 weeks, and become independent in another month. However, parents allow their children to stay in the territory and share food until October or November, when the children leave on their own. As the song goes: A person who is too young is always dissatisfied. Stubbornly unwilling to stop traveling. Looking at the high sky, I walked a long way~

Stop, stop, if the children are unwilling to walk, the parents will beat them.

The young birds mature into adults the following year. If they are lucky, they can survive in the wild for 20 years. The oldest individual recorded in the wild is 29 years old; the eagle owl in the zoo is actually 69 years old! ! ! However, it must be a careful zoo.

But now, these young eagle owls will continue to wander until they establish their own dark night kingdom.

During this period, they are very careful to avoid the territory of other eagle owls.

Because they are too clear. These huge owls are all ruthless and outrageous.

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The frightened eagle owl chick picture source/Wikimedia

The eagle owl's recipe

As mentioned earlier, the eagle owl's recipe is terrifyingly wide. In addition to its large size and wide range of available prey, this species is also widely distributed. If you are interested in animal prey records, you can learn about the American Eagle Owl. Although it is much smaller, its jaw-dropping prey records are by no means inferior to that of the American Eagle Owl.

European scholars have done a lot of research on eagle owls, so there are also a lot of records on their feeding habits. In the following incomplete compilation, I promise to be as scientific and rigorous as possible.

You can imagine the common prey, ranging from mice to rabbits, small birds to large birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and beetles. How many species in Eurasia meet the above criteria? Speaking of birds alone, most of the birds that birdwatching friends have seen that are not too fleshy (no offense intended) are among them. Here is a list of prey that you can’t easily imagine.

Common birds: Various water birds such as the Lesser White-fronted Goose, and even the sea robber herring gull and land robber corvid. In the documentary "Legend of the Ancient Forest", a mallard family lost one baby a day and were all eaten by an eagle owl; even the landlord's beaver child was eaten by an eagle owl. Research in South Korea shows that eagle owls living near wetlands have a higher breeding success rate, which is presumably related to the dedication of water birds.

Diurnal raptors: Peregrine Falcon, Red-footed Falcon, Gyrfalcon, Saker Falcon, Merlin's Falcon, Swallow's Falcon, Kestrel, Hairy-footed buzzard, common buzzard, brown-tailed buzzard, sparrowhawk, bluebird Eagle, gray harrier, bald harrier, short-toed eagle, red kite, black kite, black-shouldered kite, cuckoo-headed buzzard, osprey, black eagle, white-shouldered eagle, white-bellied falcon eagle, white vulture, etc. I saw the head of a common buzzard in Miyun Reservoir; I saw the beak of a falcon in the saliva of an eagle owl. When fighting diurnal raptors, nocturnal nature is a major advantage of the eagle owl. Look at those huge furry claws, it is really like a black shadow coming over. During the day, many large diurnal raptors dare to drive away and attack the eagle owl, but there is no actual harm. At present, the only raptors with confirmed records of killing Eagle Owls are golden eagles (Sweden, Finland, Mongolia), white-tailed sea eagles (Finland), steppe eagles (Russia) and a pair of white-bellied hawks.

Owls: All owls that appear in the realm of eagle owls (Barn Owl, Western Red Scops Owl, Long-striped Little Owl, Snowy Owl, Long-tailed Wood Owl, Gray Wood Owl, Long-eared Owl, Short-eared Owl, eared owl, ghost owl, ferocious owl, spotted owl). In European records, barn owls and long-eared owls have a high probability of being eaten. There are few relevant studies in Asia, but I believe that all owls distributed in the eagle owl territory will be eaten.

Mammals: red fox, porcupine, beaver, dog, domestic cat, stone marten, European pine marten, European badger, forest weasel, ling weasel, tiger weasel, European mink, American mink, stoat , small spotted roebuck, several species of muskrat, broad-eared bat, yellow squirrel, etc. The above is an incomplete record, and analogies can be made in Asia.

Vulnerable to endangered species: European water weasel, European eel, several species of muskrat, broad-eared bat, certain yellow squirrels, water rats, tiger weasels, lesser white-fronted goose, white vulture, black eagle, White-shouldered eagle, hunting falcon, houbara bustard, great bustard, European tortoise, Atlantic cod, European eel, etc. I didn't check it carefully, I just used existing statistics. It's the same in Asia, there should be more.

In addition, the remains of roe deer were also found in the eagle owl nest, but scavenging cannot be ruled out.

I don’t know if the Eagle Owl is tired, but I know that I am so tired.

The eagle owl captured a brown-tailed buzzard that was not sleeping well. Pay attention to the two bright spots in the dark night. (This is a series of stories. If you are interested, you can search and learn by yourself)

File source/israel raptor nest cam

The current situation of the eagle owl

The IUCN website shows LC , no danger. It is estimated that there are 250,000 to 2.5 million in the world, but please note that there is a lack of data in Asia, so we can only estimate.

Compared to the American eagle owl distributed in North America, the number of eagle owls is not too large. The population of American eagle owls (Great Horned Owls) is 5.3 million, which is 2 to 20 times that of eagle owls. The most important reason is that the American Eagle Owl is not sensitive to humans, can breed in less prosperous suburbs (are there many bustling metropolises in North America?), has a small territory, and as mentioned before, the American Eagle Owl's food range Equally vast, equally jaw-dropping. In fact, there are quite a few eagle owls that can be hunted. Africa's creamy eagle owl also makes big news from time to time, making its presence felt.

Adult eagle owls have few natural predators in the wild. According to research, European eagle owls have the highest mortality rate when young birds spread. Electric wires and car collisions are the main causes of death, as well as poisoning and shooting. Generally speaking, the European Eagle Owl is doing well and has recovered a lot compared to the 20th century. In some cities where rabbits are overpopulated, eagle owls can survive. But Britain is a strange place, and even now it is common to shoot raptors such as white-tailed harriers because hunting enthusiasts believe the raptors have eaten their game birds. Let’s not talk about the rationality of wild animals eating wild animals. I thought that the white-tailed harrier couldn’t eat those pheasants and ducks. Moreover, the British believe that the eagle owl is not a native species and does not exist historically. However, due to natural or unnatural causes, eagle owls appear in Britain. Therefore, people shoot eagle owls and destroy their eggs.

In Asia, there are few research data on eagle owls. Especially in southern China, there is little or no data on the eagle owl subspecies here. The wild animals in this area are not doing well. Eagle owls have also fared poorly elsewhere in China over the past few decades.

Human activities have a very, very big impact on eagle owls, especially during the breeding season. People abandon their nests and fly away as soon as people get close to eagle owls. The eagle owl that dominates the wilderness shows no resistance to humans. Therefore, there are reports everywhere in the news that eagle owls are being rescued here and eagle owls are being rescued there, many of which are young birds. I also don’t know how the subsequent rescue of these young birds will be. Even if the rescue is successful, the survival rate of the released eagle owl may not be optimistic. In the wild, adults may care for their young until early winter, indicating that survival skills in the wild are not easy to master. But I know that, like other birds of prey, eagle owls are victims of the illegal trade. 200 eagle owls were seized in a car in Shaanxi, and 31 eagle owl chicks were seized in Hebei. This is just news I saw accidentally.

But there may be good news. At least in some areas, the rural ecology has recovered due to the spread of population to cities. Eagle owls are quickly regaining lost ground.

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Owl Photography/Author

I write these things because I like them. If you encounter an eagle owl's nest or chicks in the wild, especially if there are several chicks together, please do not be kind and help them. Their parents are just too scared of you, so they disappear temporarily.

At the same time, we also hope that photography enthusiasts can restrain themselves and not take pictures of eagle owls brooding. They are really sensitive to human interference. Moreover, eagle owl chicks develop rapidly and need a lot of food. Any level of disturbance will affect the reproductive success rate.

As the old saying goes, if you love it, give it freedom; if you don’t love it, please don’t hurt it.

I hope everyone likes the Eagle Owl.

Reference materials:

https://www.hbw.com/species/eurasian-eagle-owl-bubo-bubo#Food_and_feeding

https:/ /en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian-eagle-owl/

https://owlcation.com/stem/Birds-of-Prey-The-Eurasian-Eagle-Owl

http://www.birdwatch.co.uk/channel/newsitem.asp?c=11&cate=__9095

And some reliable data obtained from other channels

Editor of this account/ Fengyun Youniaolu