| Description |
Medium
to largish grey owl with no ear tufts and dark eyes. Grey
to greyish-brown above, with boldly streaked whitish-grey
under-parts.
|
| Size |
50-62cm,
500-1300g
|
| Range |
Northern
Europe - Scandinavia and Baltic region across Russia and
Siberia to Korea and Japan.
|
| Habitat |
Mature,
relatively open forest.
|
| Food |
Wide
range of mammals up to the size of small hares as well as
birds, frogs and insects.
|
| Breeding |
February
to July. Nest in large tree cavity or hollow branch, also
old stick nests of crows and raptors, and nest-boxes. 3-4
eggs are incubated for 28-35 days. The young leave the
nest after 5 weeks and can fly by 2 weeks later. They
remain with the parents for a further 8 weeks.
|
| Call |
A
deep rhythmic "hohoo ho-hohohooo".
|
| Status |
Not
globally threatened and relatively common in some areas.
Readily takes to nest-boxes.
|
| Races |
Several
other races have been described but are generally
inseparable from those listed.
|
