A Provence bird: Eurasian Eagle-Owl

Physical features

An Eurasian eagle-owl can turn its head up to 270 degrees (which is 3 quarters of a full turn).

The Eurasian eagle-owl is Europe’s largest nocturnal bird of prey.

Its eyes are yellow-orange.

The Eurasian eagle-owl is sexually dimorphic (= difference between males and females physical features of the same species).

The Eurasian eagle-owl is a member of the owl family. It has egrets (around 8 cm) on its head.

• Size
  The average male Eurasian eagle-owl measures 61 cm (24 in).
  Female Eurasian eagle-owls are larger, averaging 67 cm (26.4 in), with some individuals reaching 75 cm (29.5 in).
• Wingspan
  The average wingspan is between 157 cm / 61.8 in (males) and 168 cm / 66.1 in (females).
• Weight
  Male Eurasian eagle-owls weigh between 1.6 kg (2.2 lbs) and 2.8 kg (4.4 lbs). Females are heavier, weighing between 1.8 kg (4 lbs) and 4.2 kg (9.3 lbs).

Breeding

• Pairs form in autumn (October).
• Courtship takes place at the end of winter (February/March).
• The eggs of nocturnal birds of prey are white. This makes them easier to distinguish in the dark.
• The female Eurasian eagle-owl lays 2 or 3 eggs, which she incubates alone for just over a month (34 days).
• After hatching, the young leave the nest:
  • before 4 weeks, if the nest is on the ground;
  • after 10 weeks, if the nest is in a rock face.
• The young make their first flights after 8 weeks.
• They hunt on their own after 11 weeks.

Overview

• The Eurasian eagle-owl is a nocturnal bird of prey. It is active at night and rests during the day.
• It can, however, be observed during the day (preferably very early in the morning, or late in the day).
• Its hooting (= its call) can be heard more than one kilometre away (around 0.6 mile).
• It is a sedentary animal (it does not migrate).

Diet

• An excellent predator, the Eurasian eagle-owl has a silent flight, which enables it to surprise its prey and be an effective hunter.
• It hunts in open areas with few trees or cover.
• They hunt in a variety of ways:
  • Stalking
    Hides silently and waits for prey to come within range.
  • Skimming
    By flying low to the ground, it is able to catch other birds in flight.
  • Along rock faces
    From an overhang, the Great horned owl swoops down on its prey and seizes it.
  • On foot
    It can move (heavily due to its massive size) by making small leaps.
• The Eurasian eagle-owl feeds mainly on live prey, but it is an opportunistic animal that can also feed on carrion.
• It mainly eats rodents.
• The Eurasian eagle-owl is a ‘super-predator’: it can catch and feed on prey such as owls, buzzards, falcons, bats, hedgehogs, foxes and even a young roe deer.
  Frogs, lizards, fish and invertebrates can also be part of its meal.

Habitat

• During the day, the Eurasian eagle-owl hides like most nocturnal birds of prey.
• Its habitat is varied:
  • Cliffs near large bodies of water (seashores, Mediterranean scrubland, etc.)
  • Rock faces (for their cavities and overhangs).

In French, “hibou” and “chouette” are used to distinguish two types of owls:

• “Hibou “
  It wears egrets: these are feathers that stand upright on either side of its head. They are commonly called ‘feather ears’ because they look like ears (even if they’re not actual ears)
  Its ears are located on either sides of its head, at eyes-level.
• “Chouette “
  It has no egrets.

• Domain: biota
• Kingdom: animalia
• Phylum: chordata
• Class: aves
• Order: strigiformes
• Family: strigidae
• Genus: bubo
• Species: Bubo bubo