[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Latin name: Strix aluco
Size: Grows up to around 40cms.
Distribution: Found throughout England, Scotland and Wales. Absent from Northern Ireland.
Months seen: All year round.
Habitat: Parks, gardens and wooded areas.
Food: Small birds and mammals.
Special features: The tawny owl, is sometimes called the 'brown owl' because of its colouring, or the 'wood owl' because its normal habitat is woodland.
The call of the tawny owl sounds something like "to-wooo" or sometimes "hoooouh.....ho, hohohohoooouh". This call is used by both males and females to attract each other, but it's more usually the male you will hear.
There is also a shorter call which sounds something like "Kewick". This is used as an alarm call.
The tawny owl is equipped with wing feathers which are extremely soft at the ends. This allows it to fly silently and surprise its prey.
Tawny owls are nocturnal. During the day they rest up, perfectly camouflaged in trees.
Did You Know?
It has been estimated there are around 75,000 pairs of tawny owls in the UK.
Mon Jun 25, 2012 7:51 pm
