Tawny Owl - A Beautiful Medium-Sized Owl

The Tawny Owl is a beautiful, medium-sized owl which is common in woodlands across much of Eurasia. Its underparts are pale with dark streaks. The upperparts are either brown or grey. The nest is typically in a tree hole, and eggs and young are fiercely defended against potential predators. This owl is non-migratory and highly territorial.

This owl hunts mainly rodents, usually by dropping from a perch to seize its victim, which is swallowed whole, although in more urban areas its diet includes a higher proportion of birds. Its night hunting is aided by vision and hearing adaptations and silent flight. The Tawny is capable of catching smaller owls, but may itself be killed by other larger owls and foxes.

Although this owl is often claimed to have exceptional night vision, its retina is no more sensitive than a human's, but its asymmetrically placed ears give the Tawny Owl excellent directional hearing. Its nighttime habits and eerie, easily imitated call have led to an association in myth with bad luck and death.

The Tawny Owl is 37–43 cm in length with an 81–96 cm wingspan. Its large rounded head lacks ear tufts, and the facial disc surrounding the dark brown eyes is usually rather plain. The Tawny Owl flies with long glides on rounded wings and typically at a greater height. Its flight is silent due to its feathers' soft, furry upper surfaces.

An owl's eyes are placed at the front of the head and have a field overlap of 50–70%, giving it better binocular vision than diurnal birds of prey (overlap 30–50%). The Tawny Owl's retina has about 56,000 light-sensitive rod cells per square millimetre (36 million per square inch). It is often said to have eyesight 10 to 100 times better than humans in low-light conditions.

This species is found in deciduous and mixed forests, preferring locations with access to water. Cemeteries, gardens and parks have allowed it to spread into urban areas, including central London.

Tawny Owls pair off from the age of one year. An established pair's territory is defended year-round and maintained with little, if any, boundary change from year to year. The pair sit in cover on a branch close to a tree trunk during the day, and usually roost separately from July to October. The Tawny Owl typically nests in a hole in a tree, but will also use squirrel dreys or holes in buildings. It nests from February onwards in the south of its range, but rarely before mid-March in Scandinavia. The glossy white eggs are 48 x 39 mm (1.89 x 1.54 in) in size and weigh 39.0 g (1.4 oz) of which 7% is shell. The typical clutch of two or three eggs is incubated by the female alone for 30 days to hatching and the downy chicks fledge in a further 35–39 days. The young usually leave the nest up to ten days before fledging, and hide on nearby branches.

This species is fearless in defence of its nest and young, and, like other owls, strikes for the intruder's head with its sharp talons. Because its flight is silent, it may not be detected until it is too late to avoid the danger. Dogs, cats and humans may be assaulted, sometimes without provocation. Perhaps the best-known victim of the Tawny Owl's fierce attack was the renowned bird photographer Eric Hosking, who lost an eye when struck by a bird he was attempting to photograph near its nest.

The Tawny Owl, like its relatives, has often been seen as an omen of bad luck. But it is one of the birds I like the most. I hope you have enjoyed reading this review about the Tawny Owl.

Reference: Wikipedia.org