Monday, March 16, 2009

Answer 4: Eurasian Eagle Owl

Eye number 4 in the Eyes of March Quiz part 2 belong to the Eurasian eagle owl.
Although the great gray owl is the largest owl in length and wingspan the Eurasian eagle owl takes the prize for the largest owl in weight and mass. Eagle owls weigh in between 1600-4200g compared to the longer great gray that weighs between 700-1700g.
These huge owl are found in a range that extends across Europe, North Africa, Asia and the Middle East, although they are currently endangered in many parts of Europe. They live in a variety of habitats but seem to prefer rocky landscapes.
They are a larger version of their cousin the great horned owl, which is found in North and South America. The eagle owl is known by the scientific name Bubo bubo while the great horned owl is Bubo virginianus.
Eagle owls are the top avian predator in their range. They typically hunt between dusk and dawn and they will eat almost anything that crosses their path from insects to small roe deer, Roe deer are a smaller deer found in Europe and parts of Asia. In the wild they have no natural predators so they can live to be 20 years old, if they can make it through the difficult first years.
This bird was the final bird that was highlighted in the owl presentation made by the World Bird Sanctuary at the Carpenter Nature Center the first weekend of March. her name is Xena and she was raised at the World Bird Sanctuary. Since she was creatively breed and raised she is very calm around people. She is so good around people that she participated in the Tournament of Roses Parade back in 2002.

3 comments:

antigoni said...

Awesome photos. It's beautiful to work and live with birds. You feel free and wild like bird.

Dawn Fine said...

Thanks for all this wonderful Owl information you have been posting lately. Even though I havent partcipated in guess Who is Who..
I have had fun reading about them.

Shelley said...

I wish I knew more about owls - but I'm learning thru your blog and beautiful photos.