Tawny Owl

Habitat: Deciduous and coniferous forests, copses in agricultural areas, parks and gardens with old trees, squares and cemeteries in city centres. He prefers parkland, even in the heart of the city, but can also be found in extensive wooded areas. It is strictly nocturnal and therefore rarely seen. However, he is easy to hear, as its call can be heard for kilometres on quiet moonlit nights.

Appearance: Common and widespread owl in Europe, known for its characteristic call. The tawny owl is only active at night. In Belgium and the Netherlands, it is a fairly scarce to fairly numerous breeding bird – year bird – winter visitor in fairly large numbers.

Breeding season: March to August, cavity nester – it breeds in rotten trees, farm barns and church towers. They often breed in abandoned crow’s nests or in a corner between tree roots on the ground and also on the roofs of buildings, 3 to 5 eggs.

Characteristics: Length 37 – 43 cm, wingspan 90 – 104 cm, weight 330 – 630 grams, age 21 years.

Food: The tawny owl is a courageous hunter and the grip of its claws indicates that it can overpower prey as large as a rat or a pigeon. In summer, its diet consists mainly of mice and shrews, of which it occasionally stores a small supply near its nest. In winter, it also catches birds in parks. It hovers silently in the air, staring intently for prey, until the birds fly up in their sleep, and then grabs them in mid-air. There have been observations of tawny owls crawling into a dovecote at night and killing the pigeons with their claws. The flight of a tawny owl is virtually silent and does not produce any ultrasonic sounds, which its prey are so adept at detecting.