Ural Owl
It surprises its preys by flying silently at night
The Ural Owl is a beautiful bird that is as big as a buzzard, about 60 cm. It lives in the mixed northern forests of whole Northern Eurasia.
Its plumage is white-light grey, mottled and striated with black, with a white facial disc surrounding its rather small black eyes and its little yellow beak.
The Ural Owl feeds essentially on rodents but also on other small mammals (rabbits and hare) which it surprises by flying silently at night. It also feeds on birds, generally of small size but it has been seen attacking Black Grouse, which are as big as chicken!
The Ural Owl nests in holes of old trees, occupying sometimes abandoned nests of raptors or crows, or even of squirrels: in the absence of suitable trees, it can also nest on cliffs and even sometimes on the ground, between roots.
It can live for more than 20 years.
Ural Owl
In our “Jardin des Mondes”, you can observe the Ural Owl.
A less threatened species
- Name: Ural Owl
- Latin name: Strix uralensis
- Origin: Northern Europe, Northern Russia and as far as Hokkaido in Japan
- IUCN status: Least concerned
- Cites: Appendix II
