A member of the owl family is night-bird owl. She has soft fluffy plumage, visually turning her appearance into a very impressive and powerful one, increasing her size, although creatures weigh on average no more than a kilogram and are inferior in size to their relatives, having a length of about half a meter.

The features of the external appearance of birds are quite typical for owls. However, they do not have feather "ears". The beak of birds is high, flattened from the sides; loose plumage has a reddish or grayish tint, strewn with small brown marks.

Moving in the dark owl owl uses a perfect natural acoustic locator, inherited from her prudent nature. These are specially arranged auricles, hidden under the feathers of the front part and covered with skin folds.

It is interesting that the left region of the hearing organs in the owl is always smaller in size than the right one. Such asymmetry is typical for everyone, but in owls it is so pronounced that it even causes deformation of the skull. The iris of the eyes of a nocturnal creature has a brown color.

Owl lifestyle and habitat

The habitat of the described birds is quite wide, includes Europe and Asia, spreading south to the territory of the North. Owls of this kind are also found on the American continent.

Of the varieties of birds in Russia, the bearded, long-tailed and gray owls live. Widespread in the European zone of the country tawny owl- a bird that has the dimensions of an owl of medium size.

Asian, Ural and Siberian owls predominantly have a gray tint of feathers. And redheads are residents, as a rule, of the western and southern parts of the mainland. In the Caucasus, representatives of this species, identified by scientists as a special subspecies, are able to amaze with a brown-coffee color.

Owls spend their lives uniting in pairs that do not break up for the entire time of their existence. When choosing a place to live, these birds of prey prefer areas near glades or edges, as they need space for a successful hunt.

In the photo, a gray owl with a chick

The life of birds proceeds according to the usual owl routine, since night is the time of activity for them. They start preparing for night sorties for the desired prey already at sunset, making low flights above the ground, during which they outline possible victims for themselves to carry out daring attacks.

The convenient arrangement of the wings helps the birds to smoothly approach the target without air shaking, which greatly facilitates their attacks. characteristic feature The common owl is its silent nature.

However, with the onset of twilight, if you're lucky, you can hear the roll call of these mysterious winged creatures. Usually, they do not leave their inhabited places, making only occasional minor migrations. However, for such birds there is no established behavioral framework.

In the photo, the common owl

They can roam, settle in dense forest thickets, but also find shelter near human dwellings and buildings. These are mobile and dexterous creatures that are constantly on the alert. Even during the day, when they hide among the branches of trees, birds are always ready for possible dangers. If, according to the bird, something suspicious is observed nearby, it hides, even visually, as if becoming smaller, shrinks in size, becomes motionless, almost merging with the trunk, and then fly away completely silently.

owl – bird who can take care of himself. She defends her nests with unusual fierceness, not even being afraid. It is better for enemies and immensely curious to stay away from the abode of her chicks, as there is a risk of earning deep scars or losing an eye.

At night, she is not so active, and it often happens that she does not sleep during the day. Such birds have powerful claws and make impressive trumpet sounds. These rare birds live in the mountain forests of taiga areas.

Pictured is a gray owl

The species originally discovered in the Urals is owl. differ in rather large sizes (their wing has a length of up to 40 cm), light plumage on the face and black eyes.

Their wings are yellowish white, but slightly darker than the general light gray tone of the main feather. The abdomen is often completely white. owl the long-tailed is awake and hunts at night until the first rays of the sun appear.

It lives in moist mixed forests, but often travels in winter in search of warmer places. Such owls are very smart, easily get used to people and are able to become tame.

In the photo, a long-tailed owl

Small size is considered gray owl. The size of these birds is only about 38 cm. They have dark eyes, big head, capable of turning three-quarters of a circle, and gray plumage.

During the mating season, males howl for a long time, and females answer them with short, muffled moans. Such birds are found in coniferous, deciduous and mixed forests growing in Europe and Central Asia, birds also often inhabit parks and gardens.

The habitat of the tawny owl includes Egypt, Israel and Syria. In these parts, the bird inhabits rocky gorges, palm groves, even deserts. Such birds are distinguished by their pale color, yellowness of the eyes and small size (on average, about 30 cm).

Owl nutrition

It is widely believed that the word "tawny owl" is translated from Old Russian as "an insatiable creature." But although it is a typical night rogue, it is not large enough to be interested in large prey.

When night comes to a dense forest thicket, the birds, sensitively listening to any rustle, glide between the trees, looking for shrews. Often they insidiously attack frivolous victims, after ambushing them first.

And then, with one lightning-fast jerk, they overtake their prey in the place that their impressive hearing suggested to them. Usually the throw of an attacking owl does not exceed six meters in length, although there are enough marks.

Settling not far from agricultural land, such birds bring considerable benefits to people, destroying rodents in the fields. The tawny owl, going hunting, tracking down the places of accumulation of small nocturnal birds, often visits them again to profit.

Often, winged hunters fairly annoy the hunters, leaving them without the skins of sables and other small fur-bearing animals that have fallen into traps and become the prey of feathered robbers as a result. The diet of the tawny owl also includes various small invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles.

Reproduction and lifespan of the owl

Owl nests can be found in the hollows of forest trees, near moss swamps, clearings and edges, often in the attics of abandoned dwellings. It happens that the eggs of such birds are laid in the nests of other birds, for example, goshawks, so do bearded owls and some other varieties of these representatives of the owl family. The time of the onset of the mating season depends on the climatic conditions of the habitat to which certain species of owls belong.

Pictured is the nest of the Great Owl

The Brazilian owl is an inhabitant of the dense wild forests of the New World with a favorable warm climate, therefore it begins to breed in August and ends in October, arranging its nests in hollow trees. Five weeks after birth, the chicks already leave the parental nest, and four months later they lead a completely independent existence.

Spending their lives in the forests of Europe, species of birds from the genus Tawny Owl, in the period allotted by nature for breeding, fill the deaf thickets with their voices, starting their mating concerts. True, the sounds made by them: the drawn-out hoots of the gentlemen and the short deaf cries of their girlfriends cannot be called particularly melodic.

The period of rearing offspring in the common owl begins quite early. White large eggs, of which there are usually about four pieces, hatch even during frosts, and by the end of April, as a rule, the first chicks already leave the nest of their parents.

In the photo, the nest of the Brazilian owl

Males help their girlfriends in a difficult period of offspring in everything, regularly bringing food to their chosen ones. The chicks of the common owl appear to the world in fluffy white clothes, later, covered with transverse stripes on the abdomen. When they are hungry, the children squeak voicelessly and hoarsely with a request for their parents to feed them.

Already in the first year of life, fast-growing offspring become sexually mature. It is believed, although it is not precisely established, that owls live for about five years. However, cases of longevity are known, when the age of birds lasted about twenty or more years.

But in wild nature such owls often die, becoming victims of accidents and insidious predators. Near human buildings, they die by hitting wires and when colliding with cars. Many species of these birds are considered rare, a striking example of this is the bearded owl. Red Book takes care of their protection.

The common owl lives in Europe, South Asia and Western Siberia. Settles in the hollows of old trees, preferring deciduous and mixed forests. Not bad adapted to live in gardens and parks. But if there are no conditions for a brood of chicks, it will leave the place. She sticks to her chosen territory and does not leave it.

Leads a nocturnal lifestyle, hunting rodents (the main food), and. Attacks medium sized birds.This beautiful motley bird is brown or gray in color. Quite invisible among the trees, it is well camouflaged, thanks to its plumage. The belly is predominantly white with dark specks, while the back, head, wings and tail are brown in color, alternating with light specks.

The plumage is soft and the same, no difference in gender. Its weight is from 370 to 600 grams, body length is up to 40 cm. Females are larger than males. On the large head of the bird are large dark eyes, a strong yellow beak. Vision and hearing good level which helps to survive in the wild. The legs are covered with feathers up to long and sharp claws, which are strongly curved.

The wings are wide and rounded, their wingspan reaches 1 meter. Its flight is graceful, it silently flies up to a potential victim and grabs it with its sharp claws. It is agile and very mobile. But she is also shy and cautious. During the day, she dozes, but her hearing is on the alert, it will hear and see anyone who wants to approach her, then it will simply fly away.

Their mating season begins quite early, in early March. Males ambiguously “hoot”, calling for females, and they answer them with a short sound. When a pair is formed, the female will soon lay eggs. She will incubate them from the first egg she lays. Usually there are 2-4 white eggs in a clutch. In about a month, charming fluffy white chicks will be born one after another. Mom is inseparable with the brood for several days. The father brings food. They open their mouths greedily, demanding food.

The chick is born deaf, blind, weighing up to 30 grams. On the second day of life, the chicks already hear and see. Parents take great care of their offspring and feed them conscientiously. Children grow up quickly, change fluff to fluff, stand on their paws. Parents zealously protect their chicks from enemies and fearlessly attack uninvited guests. At the age of 30 days, the young are selected from the hollow, but they do not go far from their home. Soon they will learn to fly, but loving parents still feed them and allow them to stay with them until the end of the year. Then the young birds will have to find a place of residence unoccupied in the forest.

Tawny owls are forest birds, leading a predominantly nocturnal lifestyle. There are about fifteen of them in total. Contrary to popular belief, predators see perfectly during the day.

Mouse-like rodents, which form the basis of the bird's diet, are active just at night. Therefore, the owl sits in the shelter during the day and flies out to hunt at dusk. Tawny owls are sedentary birds, but if the number of rodents decreases sharply in the region for any reason, predators are forced to roam in search of food places. The flight of the bird is completely silent, which is facilitated by the soft plumage of the wings. It nests in hollows of trees, between stones, in nests large birds abandoned by their inhabitants.

Great Gray Owl

Bird squad Owls, owl family. Habitats - Asia, Africa, Europe, North America. Wingspan 1.5 m. Weight 1.4 kg

The great Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa) is an inhabitant of the northern forests and is found in northern latitudes; especially a lot of these owls in the northern parts of Europe, Asia, North America. This is an elegantly and proportionately built bird with expressive "glasses", which are dark rings around the eyes. The predominant color of the plumage is grayish brown, with darker spots and strokes on top.

The species name alludes to a black beard-like spot under the bill. There is a white collar on the front of the neck. The facial disc is large. The eyes on it are expressive - yellow, surrounded by dark concentric stripes.

The Great Owl hunts mainly during the day: it simply has no choice due to the long daylight hours during the northern summer.

It feeds mainly on voles and lemmings, and nests in abandoned nests. birds of prey or in hollow stumps. Some recklessly brave birdwatchers have experienced how the Great Gray Owl defends its nest resolutely, while the young offspring do not hesitate to use their claws when attacking.

During the winter months, Tawny Owls hunt during the daytime. Sitting comfortably on a suitable vantage point, they peer intently at the snow-covered ground in the hope of seeing signs of the existence of small mammals. Due to the extreme cold and scarce prey, the owl is forced to fly south.

In Russia, the species is widely distributed - from the Kola Peninsula to Primorye, but is most often found in Siberia. He is not engaged in construction - he uses the nests of other birds of prey; in laying from 2 to 4 white eggs.

Tawny owl

The Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) is, of course, the best-known species in Britain, as well as other parts of continental Europe. The predominant and most common color of her plumage is brown, which is literally strewn with darker stripes and strokes; the birds of this tribe, living in the east, are more gray.

The common owl (gray) is an exclusively nocturnal bird and prefers to stay in a secluded place during the day. However, with the onset of darkness, the silent outlines of the tawny owl loom in the forest gaps, and the loud hooting heard in the night is familiar to most people. Owls mainly live in wooded areas, but in recent times the number of birds settling near cities is increasing. In the daytime, they can sometimes be disturbed by small songbirds attacking a resting owl in whole flocks. Observers wishing to listen to an owl's hoot or locate an owl often use calls with the calls of these birds.

The cry of an owl at the end of winter can be confused with the hoot of an owl. Same "woo". Plus, “q-witt” - this is how the female owl screams. You will see with your own eyes, you will not confuse with an owl. The owl does not have eagle owls protruding to the side of the "ears". Its coloring plumage resembles the bark of an old tree.

Compared to the rare owl, the owls are doing well. The range of the species is quite large. The tawny owl is common in Europe, where in many countries it is simply referred to as the "forest owl". Total population in this region - more than half a million birds. The Tawny Owl can be found on the southern slopes of the Himalayas, and in southeastern Tibet, and in Eastern China. In northern Africa, there is a subspecies of the tawny owl. In total, there are about a dozen subspecies.

The variegated plumage of the tawny owl in winter serves as an excellent disguise for it during daytime sleep. However, if small birds detect an owl, their noisy attack will not stop until the owl has flown away.

The Owl (Strix uralensis) has a body length of 60 centimeters (24 inches), so it is not much smaller than the Great Owl, with which it also bears a physical resemblance. She lacks only the concentric rings around the eyes, which adorn the latter. In many external features, the Ural Owl is similar to the Common Owl. The main territory of its habitat starts from the northern part of Europe and stretches east to Siberia itself. Like its larger relative, the bird feeds on small mammals and also attacks, striking in the face, on uninvited guests.

The Ural Owl is one of the most remarkable species of European owls. And although outwardly it looks like a gray owl, it does not have concentric rings around the eyes, called "glasses" and inherent only in the gray owl.

The Barred Owl (Strix varia) is a widespread and frequent species in North America; its habitat starts from the eastern half of the continent and extends north of Florida towards southern Canada. It is also found to the west, in the north of its territory, and already lives in the state of Washington. It is a medium-sized owl - its body length is 50 centimeters (20 inches) - with a surprisingly attractive brown plumage with long stripes.

Barred Owls are forest birds that prefer to live in mixed or coniferous forests. In most of their habitat, they are almost exclusively nocturnal birds, and during the day they can only be seen when someone has disturbed their peace.

The gray owl (lat. Strix aluco) is a bird belonging to the Owl family (Strigidae). It has a large round head, a small down-curved beak and huge round eyes. It is also called the common owl.

Behavior

This owl lives in Eurasia and North Africa. Eastern borders habitats pass through the Korean Peninsula. She prefers to live in remote, deserted corners, but can also settle next to a person. Most often it can be found on the plains or in forest thickets. The most favorite place of the settlement is an old cozy hollow in a mixed forest. Around it are her hunting grounds.

With the onset of dusk, the predator goes hunting and only at dawn returns to her home. An owl hunts in an open area. In food, she is not picky, large invertebrates and small rodents are quite suitable for her. Magnificent vision and keen hearing help to detect prey even on the darkest, moonless night.

The tawny owl living in the wild differs in its food preferences from those living in urban conditions. If the first feeds mainly on rodents, then the second prefers small feathered game. Undigested remnants of food owl regurgitates in the form of small spools.

reproduction

The male leads a sedentary lifestyle. He vigilantly guards his lands from anyone's claims. At the beginning of the mating season, males call their partners with a characteristic inviting hoot. Such sounds are sometimes heard even in autumn.

Tawny owls do not build new nests. They prefer to settle in old hollows, rock crevices, abandoned birdhouses, abandoned underground structures and in the attics of houses. From March to May, the female lays from 3 to 5 eggs, but with an abundance of food, there are more. She incubates the clutch for about a month. At this time, the male brings her food.

Hatched chicks are fed by both parents. At the age of one month, babies get out of the nest. They are still helpless and cannot do without parental care. During this period, the owls learn to fly.

Often, when people see a chick on the ground, they consider it abandoned and take it home. It is absolutely impossible to do this. Even if the owlet is on the ground, thanks to its sharp claws along the tree trunk, it can easily climb back into its nest.

At seven weeks old, the chicks already fly well, but are still in the care of their parents.

Protecting its offspring, the tawny owl bravely rushes at any aggressor, if necessary, it can also attack a person. She directs her sharp claws directly into the eyes of the attacker and turns him into a stampede.

Tawny owls reach sexual maturity at the age of 2-3 years.

Description

The body length of an adult is 37-38 cm. The wingspan can reach 1 m with a weight of about 540 g. The plumage color varies from gray to light red with a dark pattern of longitudinal stripes of different lengths.

The head is relatively large in relation to the body and rounded. Large round eyes are located in front of the facial disc. The beak is short, strongly bent down. Wide rounded wings provide high maneuverability in flight.

The muscular body is completely covered with dense plumage. The lower limbs and paws are covered with small light feathers. Two fingers point forward and two reverse side. They are equipped with long and hook-shaped claws. Closer to the head are white stripes. The shortened tail opens in the air in a wide fan.

The life span of the Tawny Owl in natural conditions does not exceed 10 years. In captivity, individual specimens live up to 15-16 years.

The Gray Owl is a bird from the genus Tawny Owls of the Owl family of the Owl-like order.

The appearance of the gray owl

As a rule, the tawny owl has a predominantly gray color, although sometimes there are individuals painted in red tones. Against the background of the main color, a pattern is clearly visible, consisting of strips of various thicknesses running in the longitudinal direction. In this species of owl, the female is usually larger than the male.

The tightly knit body of the bird is completely covered with loose dense plumage. shoulder feathers white color form a kind of shoulder straps. The wings are wide and rounded. On four-toed paws, 2 fingers point back, 2 forward. The fingers have long sharp claws. There are no feather ears on the rounded large head. The eyes are round, large, directed forward. The beak is short, hook-shaped. The broad tail opens like a fan in flight.

Listen to the voice of the Tawny Owl

Habitat of the Tawny Owl

The bird inhabits mixed and deciduous forests from Eastern Europe to Northwestern Siberia. It also lives in the mountain forests of the Caucasus, Crimea, Central Asia (southwestern Tien Shan, Ferghana Range, western Pamir-Altai, Kugitang, Kopetdag) and Western Kazakhstan. The northern border here is Vologda, the Leningrad region, Tobolsk, Kungura, Ilek and Orenburg.

The bird also lives in Western Europe, Asia Minor, Northwest Africa, Afghanistan, the Himalayas, northwestern Iran, Korea, South and East China.

In the northern parts of its range, the Tawny Owl lives in old backyard groves, as well as in park-type plantations. It also lives in mountain forests, preferring coniferous beech trees. In the taiga forests, the bird often settles in ripe aspen forests. For the Tawny Owl, forest stands in gorges are more typical than lowland forests.

Tawny owl lifestyle

This owl is almost exclusively nocturnal. In the Belgorod region, for example, the activity of the tawny owl is observed from 8 pm to 3 am. However, the bird is well able to adapt to various conditions. In Finland and Leningrad region during the white nights, the tawny owl hunts not only at night, but also during the day.

As a rule, an owl begins its hunt a few tens of minutes after sunset. Hunting is carried on all night, and with the appearance of the first rays of the sun, the owl flies away for the day. The hunting period is not monotonous, but has two peaks.

Owl nutrition

The diet of the Tawny Owl is varied and highly dependent on environmental conditions. If we summarize the menu of this bird in different regions habitat, we can say that the gray owl eats various rodents (rats, mice), insects, frogs, moles, small birds (sparrow, jackdaw, wagtail, redstart).

As a rule, the bird goes fishing near the nest. The radius of the hunting territory rarely exceeds 200 - 400 m. An owl usually tears large prey into pieces, and swallows small ones whole.

Under the nest and in places of rest, the Tawny Owl regurgitates undigested food residues in the form of pellets.

Reproduction of the gray owl

Owls usually nest in old woodpecker hollows (hollows of other woodpeckers do not fit in size) or look for natural hollows in trees. It happens that the Tawny Owl settles in the nests of various birds of prey and crows, as well as in the attics of buildings made by man.

The bird leads a sedentary lifestyle. Each male has its own nesting area, which is carefully guarded by him from the encroachments of strangers. With the advent of the mating season, the males of the gray owl hoot invitingly in the hope of attracting a female. Before mating, the male makes a ritual offering of prey to the female.

One clutch contains from 2 to 6 almost round eggs with a white shell. The average egg size is 47.5 x 39.2 mm. Each egg at the beginning of incubation weighs approximately 40 g. Only the female takes part in incubation. The incubation period lasts approximately 4 weeks. The hatched chick weighs approximately 30 g. Over the next 30 days of life, the chick increases its body weight by more than 10 times, reaching a weight of up to 400 g.

By the end of the 90th day of its life, the young owl is gaining maximum weight. Chicks are born blind.