Bird Profiles - Tawny Owl (strix aluco)
Call
Pictures @ Ian McGuire
Description.
Medium sized Owl Resident breeding non migratory
Brown upper parts, creamy coloured under side with belly streak with brown markings. Eyes are dark with a well-defined facial disk, no ear tufts, but when alarmed this owl can stand feather on its head up so that it appears to have small tufts on top of the head. The overall shape of the Tawny owl is long head to tail well rounded body short rounded wings compared to size of body, this adaptation is ideal for woodland flying (long tail for quite change of direction and short wings to avoid obstacles) Like all owls it is generally a low flying bird with short bursts of wing movement followed by long effortless glides.
Vital Statistics
Length head to tail = 447mm Weight (average) = 478g Wing span = 1008mm
Status
UK Population of around 20-25 000 pairs noted as declining in a lot of areas. Found throughout England, Wales and Scotland but does not occur in Ireland or Islands surrounding the UK.
Habitat requirements and Nest Site
As this is a woodland bird it can be found in woodland both deciduous and conifer, also the tawny owl does show great adaptability by also occupying open farmlands with small fields and good mature hedgerow borders, and also is noted within town and city parks were it can sometimes live close to people seemingly un-affected by modern life. Tawny owls choose to nest in holes in trees also they will nest in buildings, old stick nests of birds such as crows will be used as will squirrel drays.
The more extreme I have come across was in 1993 when a Tawny Owl nested on the woodland floor in the Mendip Hills, needless to say the nest was un-successful being predated whilst the female was incubating the eggs.
Diet
A chiefly small mammal such as Wood Mice, Bank Voles and Shrews, and this Owl can does take Rats. Insects can form from time to time an important part of the diet, with beetles and earthworms being consumed in large numbers, also small birds are taken but in most of studies this tends to be around the time that young inexperienced or weakened young birds leave the nest.
Medium sized Owl Resident breeding non migratory
Brown upper parts, creamy coloured under side with belly streak with brown markings. Eyes are dark with a well-
Vital Statistics
Length head to tail = 447mm Weight (average) = 478g Wing span = 1008mm
Status
UK Population of around 20-
Habitat requirements and Nest Site
As this is a woodland bird it can be found in woodland both deciduous and conifer, also the tawny owl does show great adaptability by also occupying open farmlands with small fields and good mature hedgerow borders, and also is noted within town and city parks were it can sometimes live close to people seemingly un-
Diet
A chiefly small mammal such as Wood Mice, Bank Voles and Shrews, and this Owl can does take Rats. Insects can form from time to time an important part of the diet, with beetles and earthworms being consumed in large numbers, also small birds are taken but in most of studies this tends to be around the time that young inexperienced or weakened young birds leave the nest.
Hunting method As this Owl is mostly adapted to woodland it uses what is refer to as the post hopping method of hunting, simplify put means it chooses a vantage position then a branch on a tree then waits and pounces on its prey. But I have also observed Tawny owls flying hunting were by they fly across open and try to hover like a kestrel would, looks quite un-professional when a Tawny owl tries it, I have also observed them hunting for insects by literally running along the ground like glorified Blackbirds.
Calls or song: Both sexes use the very familiar Hoot sounding like hooo ho ho hooooo, and both screech except that the female, generally uses a pleasing to harsh sounding erieee call whilst the male screech is faster and sounds more like Keewick Keewick. There are other sounds made by both in close proximity to each other which are associated with copulation and general pair bonding. Long draw out screams are also heard as a prelude to or during a territorial dispute that involves physical contact.
Owlets contact calls with parents sounds like titshoo-titshoo uttered slowly when not in proximity of parents but a good guide to knowing where they are is listen to how fast the young are calling the faster and more anxious sounding the closer they are to the young (same for all Species)
