home » Ideas » What is the difference between an owl and an owl. Eagle owls and owls How to determine the sex of a long-eared owl

What is the difference between an owl and an owl. Eagle owls and owls How to determine the sex of a long-eared owl

Owls are one of the most ancient birds on our planet. According to ornithologists, owls lived in the North for several tens of millions of years ago. It is believed that the first owl-like bird lived in the Mesozoic period about 250 million years BC.

Although they are birds of prey, they have little in common with diurnal raptors. In the legends of the Middle Ages, owls act as mystical characters who see the past, future and present, in those days people were afraid of them and bypassed them.

In the perception of modern man the owl is the wisest bird in the world. These birds are mentioned in the Bible in the prophecies of Isaiah, and on the Babylonian bas-reliefs, the goddess Ishtar is depicted accompanied by two owls.

The owl is considered the oldest bird on the planet.

Despite their predatory nature, these birds play a very important role in nature, preventing the population of mice and other rodents from growing, causing damage to agriculture and forestry.

Features and habitat of an owl

Owls live almost everywhere except. They are found in deserts, steppes, high in the mountains, on the sea coast, in forests, villages and even in large cities.

They usually avoid open areas, except for some varieties, such as short-eared owls. Part of the population of these birds is sedentary, some regularly fly from place to place.

They nest most often in secluded places, for example, in rock crevices, the hollow of an old tree, or in an attic under the roof of a house.

Pictured is a short-eared owl

The sizes of owls vary in a fairly wide range. The smallest representatives - passerines in height reach no more than 20 cm, and the weight does not exceed 100 grams.

The largest owl - bird eagle owl, its weight can reach up to 4 kg, and its height - up to 75 cm.

The body of the bird is strewn with thick feathers, under which there is a large amount of down. The coloration also varies depending on the species, and there are 420 of them known today.

owl bird

Often the color depends on the habitat, adjusting, for example, to the characteristics of the tree bark and acting as a disguise. In order to be convinced of the amazing variety of colors of these birds, you can see owl bird photo.

Owls have very sinewy and strong paws. The bird seizes its victims with its claws. The eyes are very large and have a penetrating gaze. Due to this feature, since ancient Greek times, it is believed that owl is a wise bird.

The special structure of the eyes allows owls to perceive a stream of light of reduced intensity, which explains the fact that in the dark they see no worse than in daylight. Owl vision has the only drawback - they practically do not notice anything near them.

The hearing of these birds is approximately 50 times better developed than that of humans, and the ears have a different arrangement relative to each other, which in turn allows them to detect the presence and track the further movement of prey.

The structure of the owl's beak is similar to the beak of parrots, it is not for nothing that they are one of the closest relatives. The neck of birds is unusually mobile and allows them to rotate their heads 270 degrees.

The nature and lifestyle of an owl

Definitely answer the question migratory bird owl or not difficult, mostly birds of the owl order prefer a sedentary lifestyle and settle in pairs. The main peak of their activity falls at night, during the day they sit in their nests or on tree branches.

The only exceptions are white owls, showing almost round-the-clock activity during the polar day. The male and female owls form a pair and spend their whole lives in a single marriage; the courtship period inherent in many other birds is, in fact, absent.

White Owl

Owls are not particularly fond of building nests and may take someone else's or simply lay their eggs in a small depression in the ground. Eggs at a time they usually have from 4 to 10. Hatched chicks in case of lack of nutrition can eat each other.

They spend about a month in the parental nest, after which they fall out and begin an independent life, or they themselves go to feed someone, for example, their sworn enemies - daytime predators, such as hawks.

At all owls are nocturnal birds, during the day they can fly from place to place only if they are disturbed or attacked by diurnal predators, otherwise they will hide in the crowns of trees, occasionally making hooting sounds to delineate the boundaries of their territory or to attract females, which, by the way, are somewhat larger than males.

Owl food

Absolutely all varieties of owls feed exclusively on animal food, such as large insects, snakes and lizards. Some species feed on fish caught in shallow water, but the bulk of the owl population prefers small rodents, birds, and occasionally bats.

The largest prey on hedgehogs, partridges, pheasants, black grouse and even birds of prey. Owls do not eat carrion. In winter, they can store directly in their nests.

Sometimes several tens of frozen field ones accumulate there. Owls can go without water for up to several months. The necessary level of liquid is provided by the blood from the caught prey. The owl hunts and, accordingly, eats in the dark.

Owl breeding

The behavior of male and female owls varies by species. There are species that, having formed a pair once, spend their whole lives together, males of some species, on the contrary, look for new females every year.

Owl breeding occurs approximately once a year. The female incubates the egg for about a month, the male provides her with food during this period. Often, due to the uneven distribution of food, some chicks are far behind others in growth, and in times of famine they can easily be eaten by stronger ones.

Owl eggs are different from those of most birds: they are exclusively white and ball-shaped. Owl chicks are born helpless, their eyes filled with down. Both parents feed them.

To the question " what kind of bird is an owl lifespan? It is also not easy to give an unambiguous answer: the life expectancy of most individuals ranges from five to ten years, but there are cases when owls kept in zoo conditions lived up to forty or even fifty years.

Pictured is an owl's nest

The main reason why owls die is a lack of food. In years when the number of rodents is small, about a quarter of the young offspring die. Also, owls are often attacked by other predators - hawks, golden eagles and others. Even some small species of birds can attack owls sitting on trees during daylight hours.

Owl bird species

At this point in time, scientists have counted approximately 420 varieties of owls. At all owl - bird of the forest, but it can also settle not far from a person; attics and roofs are favorite places.

snowy owl

White, on the contrary, eschews people and lives mainly in the northern latitudes, where the population is the lowest. The largest species is the eagle owl, and the smallest is the pygmy owl.

Buy an owl bird you can in a pet store or on specialized bulletin boards on the Internet, but you should understand that this is a predator and it feeds exclusively on animal food.

The order of owls includes only two families. These are owls and barn owls. The first, just, are real owls. These are both owls and owls. This also includes the genus of eared owls and owls. And barn owls themselves belong to the barn owl family.

Similarities between owls and other birds

Owls are generally amazing birds, very different from other birds. The only thing in which their similarities with other birds of prey can be distinguished is some of their habits while tracking down prey and directly attacking it. And perhaps, even the presence of a predatory beak and strong, tenacious and curved claws make them related.

In its habits, it is somewhat similar to a hawk. An owl is also capable of tracking prey for a long time and, just as silently and instantly grabbing it. Otherwise, there are no similarities. No other bird has eyes on the same plane. Owls only. Only owls can rotate their heads in such a way that they are able to turn it around their own body without any harm to themselves. And, yet, in their pedigree, not a single ancestor was found that is common with other families of birds.

Features of appearance and structure

Outwardly, all these birds of the owl order are similar. Representatives of different species have slight differences among themselves. Their color is especially different, which depends on the area they occupy. The color of their plumage is camouflage, it blends with the environment. They also differ in size.

The general characteristic features of the feathered order of owls are: a large round head, large eyes located on the same plane, and not on the sides, a small but strong predatory beak and long tenacious claws. Many representatives have feathered paws. By the way, the so-called “ears” of an owl are just bunches of feathers, and not the ears that they so resemble.

And, their auditory system is very interesting. They are the only birds with ear shells. And these shells are on the sides of the head. Moreover, their location is asymmetrical. Small hard feathers surrounding the owl's face are a kind of "radar" that picks up sounds and sends them to the auricles. Owls have excellent hearing. And the eyesight is excellent too. By the way, they see well not only at night, but also during the day. But at night, their vision is especially sharpened.

Their eyes are arranged in such a way that they can see everything around them well. Owls, in order to observe what is in front of them, do not need to rotate their pupils. And in order to look back, they do not need to turn around completely, but just turn their heads 180 degrees, which they do without difficulty.

The owl's tail is rounded. The steering feathers are bent. These birds fly quickly and silently. And, this is due to the special structure of their feathers.

Species of owls and their habitats

Owls live all over the planet. They are not only in the Antractida. Mostly they are forest dwellers. But, some species live in the fields. Some are lovers of living near a person. Especially if due to this neighborhood there is something to profit from. For example, an eagle owl can be found everywhere. But the long-eared owl is a field resident.

The eagle owl differs in color and it is the largest representative of the family. With a growth of about 70 centimeters, by weight it can reach from 2 to 4 kilograms. The eyes of the eagle owl are bright orange. The color is dominated by copper and reddish shades. And above his eyes, feather tufts are necessarily located.

The long-eared owl is half the size of the eagle owl. Gray and brown shades in the plumage, which adorn the variegated blotches and white chest - this is it. And on her head are tufts of feathers resembling ears.

The Great Gray Owl is also a large individual, not inferior in size to eagle owls. She has a particularly large head. And her color is ashy. The owl has no feather tufts.

The smallest representative of owls is an owl. Its weight does not even reach 100 grams. And, they themselves are no more than 20 centimeters. Owls are further divided into 2 subspecies: the sparrow owl and the brownie.

Barn owl is distinguished by an unusual shape of the facial disc, which resembles a heart. The facial disc of an owl is that part of the face that is surrounded by small feathers. Barn owl weight category - up to 1 kilogram. And the growth of these birds is up to 40 centimeters. The feather color of barn owls is variegated.

A very beautiful white owl, or, as it is also called, polar. She lives in the tundra. Her color is white with black patches.

What do owls eat in nature

All owls are predators. And, they feed naturally on smaller animals. Mostly warm-blooded. The main and favorite delicacy of all of them is rodents. They especially love them. And, at night, they track down exactly them, since the mice believe that no one sees them at this time of day. But it was not there! Owl hearing is tuned exactly to the range in which they hear every mouse squeak.

In addition to rodents, they can also be impregnated with insects. But, this is only in exceptional order, and in small doses. But small hares and foxes will not escape from owls! They can catch and eat them too.

Owls eat, swallowing the whole victim, along with wool and bones. True, if the carcass is too large, then they will tear it into pieces. But, this is only if it is really too big and inconvenient to swallow. Here you can select an owl. He behaves differently while eating. He will definitely rip off the skin from the animal.

Owls eat frogs, large puffball worms. They can eat both snails and large insects.

The diet varies depending on where they live. Well, it also depends on the size of the bird. So, small rodents and insects become the food of a small owl. In general, both owls and barn owls love to live next to people. They love to eat field mice. The owl is especially voracious. Her victim, just, can become small animals.

It feeds, like its forest relatives, on animals: hares, small polar foxes (see photo of the arctic fox), ermines. And of the rodents, her menu includes lemmings. These are polar mice-voles.

"Owl" lifestyle

Owls do not make nests for themselves. And, even those of them who are engaged in construction do it reluctantly and very badly. Basically, owls occupy "houses" abandoned by other birds.

Long-eared owls build their nests right on the ground. They are field dwellers.

Unlike the chicks of other birds of prey, owls are born deaf and blind. Depending on the availability of food in the area where owls live, the number of chicks is also determined. If places abound with food, then owls can lay eggs several times a year.

Moreover, they approach this issue quite thoughtfully. The fact is that at first they can hatch several chicks, and then make another clutch. It turns out that when the parents fly away to hunt, the older chicks stay with the younger ones. They warm eggs, or newly hatched counterparts. But, in case of a hunger strike, it may turn out that they will have a bite to eat. The eggs are incubated purely by the female. But the prey for food is mainly males. This is with the exception of the case described above, when the first chicks have already been hatched. Then both parents directly take care of the food of the family.

Although owls are nocturnal, not all of them rest during the day after. And at night they are awake not only purely for the sake of hunting mice. It just so happened that these birds have quite a few ill-wishers among other birds. So, at night they not only hunt, but also hide from their unkind neighbors.

Owls in captivity: what to feed and the difficulties of keeping

If there is a desire to acquire a domestic owl, then before doing this, one should take into account some of the features of these birds. Do not forget that keeping them in a house or apartment is a little complicated. Difficulties will arise both with feeding the bird and with providing it with the necessary space. And most importantly - the owl is a nocturnal resident. Natural instincts will always prevail and it will not work to re-educate the owlet. So, he will fly and scream at night.

Still, it is necessary to take into account that it will be necessary to keep all the necessary and important things in a place inaccessible to the bird. After all, they are big fans of playing pranks and grabbing something.

You can't keep an owl in a cage! She will live in the entire apartment. And, to move her there from the nursery, you will need to carefully prepare. It is very important: close the large mirrors in the house, or even remove them altogether. The owl will try to fly through them. Windows will also need to be closed, for the same reason. And, it would be best to hang them with thick fabric curtains.

Owls are very fond of water procedures. Therefore, it would be advisable to prepare a bath for the future pet. Also, you need to make sure that the bird has a place to rest during its flights around the apartment. To do this, you will need to attach wooden shelves to the walls, or bars on which it will sit down. And - wrap these filler pads with something soft.

It is best to buy a young owlet, and not an already adult bird. It is much faster and easier to get used to a new environment for him and get used to the owner. Usually, owls become attached to one person.

And, you need to buy a bird in a special nursery. So you can be sure that she is not caught by poachers and that she is in good health. The nursery will have to provide all the necessary documents.

And moving an owl to a new place of residence would be best done in a box with small holes that provide access to fresh air during its journey, but without “windows”. This is so that the bird is not scared.

When the owl is already in the house, the first thing to do is to let her get comfortable and try not to scare her. Food and water will have to be prepared for her arrival. But, first, let the owlet look around on its own, without someone else's intervention, for several hours. Then it will be possible to feed him. And if you give food from your hands, then the rapprochement will be much faster. The owl will have a sense of trust in the person.

Now about the nutrition of an owl at home. She will not eat porridge, or other foods offered to her. She is a predator. And, feed it will have meat. But, there is a peculiarity here. It will be necessary to provide the winged pet with completely carcasses of chickens, or others. The main thing is that they are whole. You will need to purchase them fresh. It is best if the bird is slaughtered on the same day. It is very important for an owl to eat with feathers and bones. At home, they will do it in the same way as in nature. This is how the digestive system of these birds works.

Well, if the place of residence is not a city apartment, but a rural area. Nevertheless, it is much easier to feed a domestic predator there. After all, you can keep chickens on your own. Yes, she can eat rodents. That is why some representatives of this family so often settle near a person and near fields. After all, there, in addition to field mice, you can also drag a chicken from the yard.

But in the city you will have to regularly buy food for her. A small owl per day should eat at least two carcasses.

Another feature of the digestive processes in owls: some time after eating, they regurgitate what has not been digested. These are bones, wool, feathers. It is worth paying attention to this. Burping should be mandatory. And, if traces of blood are found in it, or they exude a very unpleasant odor, then this will indicate that the bird is sick. Another cause for concern may be the color of the litter. In healthy birds, it is thickish, but not too thick, and white.

Signs of an owl's illness can be both loss of appetite and a bad mood of a pet. If the owl does not fly, but only sits with its eyes closed, it means that it is sick.

It is best to buy for keeping small owls, barn owls, eared owls in the house.

Owl: description of external characteristics

The most distinctive sign that distinguishes an owl is its large muzzle and head with large round eyes. The beak of an owl is curved, short, with nostrils located at its very base.

The plumage of an owl is thick and soft, the wings are rounded, large, the tail is rectangular. In addition, the wings of those birds that hunt in the forest are short, while those that prefer a more open area (and more often fly) are long. But they are still large in comparison with body weight, which allows birds to fly, easily planning, silently and without much effort.

Usually, owls have a "protective" plumage color, which allows them to blend in with the shades of the environment and remain unnoticed during the rest period during the day.

The feathers of owls living in the forests are usually brownish in hues. And owls living in deserts are distinguished by a lighter color (reddish).

Females differ from males in larger sizes, but the color of their feathers is almost the same. Only in the snowy owl, males have snow-white plumage, and females have feathers with a noticeable brownish speck.

What is the difference between an owl and an owl, consider a little lower.

Owls from the genus of owls

Owls are relatively small owls of larger build. They do not have feather ears. The bird has a well-defined black facial disc with a white border.

A short tail gives a visual misleading impression of the wings - they seem longer than they really are. The legs are feathered differently in different forms of owls: in the southern ones, their fingers are covered with bristles, in the northern ones, plumage is present to the very claws.

Under the beak they have a black spot resembling a beard, framed by white, horizontally elongated spots. The ridges between the eyes are light gray, in the form of eyebrows (crescent shape), located from the beak towards the inside of the facial disc. The pupils are black, the eye iris is yellow. The eyes are small, the beak is yellow.

Among them occasionally (eastern populations) there are completely black birds, in which bright yellow eyes are clearly distinguished on the facial disk.

The females are larger than the males and are indistinguishable in color.

The owl differs from the eagle owl in a brighter and more saturated gray color, a bright, clearly defined facial disc with many concentric circles, with a “beard”, the absence of “ears”, medium-sized yellow eyes, and a darker color.

Beautiful bird owl. What is the difference between an owl and an owl in appearance?

The eagle owl is an unusually attractive bird. This is a larger owl, with a wingspan of which their length reaches from 150 to 170 centimeters, and the length of each wing is up to 50 centimeters. Its weight is about 2 kg.

Adult birds have a rusty yellow coloration, densely mottled with brownish blackish hues.

Her eyes are reddish-yellow, her beak is dark, one might say black. On the sides of his head are tufts of feathers that form something like ears (nothing to do with real ears). Both females and males have the same coloration.

What is the difference between an owl and an owl: photo

The common eagle owl is a species of birds of prey from the order of owls. Owl and eagle owl are different species.

Each of the birds of the order of owls has its own characteristics.

What is the difference between an owl and an owl? Firstly, there are more owls than owls.

1. The owl is much smaller than the eagle owl, and it does not have feather ears like the first one (except for the long-eared owl species).

2. Most owls have a rim of short hard feathers on the front of the head, which is absent in the eagle owl.

3. Owls fly very silently and glide easily, and the eagle owl's wings produce audible whistling sounds during the flight.

4. An owl hunts, as a rule, for smaller animals, and a large hare or even a young roe deer can turn out to be prey for an eagle owl.

habitats

The eagle owl is the most widespread species of owl.

What is the difference between an owl and an owl in terms of habitats?

The eagle owl is a bird that can adapt to the most diverse and unpredictable conditions of existence. It can be found in the Ussuri region in dense forests, and in the polar forests on the Mezen, and in Altai in the mountain taiga, and in the Ukrainian steppes, and in the deserts of Mongolia.

It can also live in the Tien Shan mountains, in the eastern Pamirs and in Tibet (even at an altitude of up to 4,000 m above sea level). Eagle owl perfectly takes root anywhere and endures any weather conditions.

Owls also live in territories of almost the entire world, from the very equator to the harsh cold northern territories. You can find them everywhere: on the shores of the seas, in the mountains, in deserts, in the steppes. Most of this species of birds lives in forests (and woodlands).

Not many of them (for example, a marsh owl) prefer more spacious open places. And some of the owls, unlike the eagle owls, willingly settle in settlements under the roofs and in the attics of houses. You can see them in the park areas of cities. This is another of the points that distinguishes an owl from an owl.

It is important to note about eagle owls that people sometimes use them as a bird of prey, but there is one minus in this - this bird is difficult to train. Eagle eagle is a rarity. Moreover, there are often extremely dangerous attacks of birds on their owners if they are improperly kept and raised.

An owl is a bird of prey, belongs to the order of owls (Strigiformes or Striges), in which 2 families are distinguished:

owls or true owls (these include the genera of the tawny owl, owls, long-eared owls and scops)
barn owls (these include the genus barn owl and the genus mask barn owl)

The paws of an owl are very strong and grasping, in many species they are feathered. owl claws sharp and curved, they help her to quickly grab the victim and hold it. The flight of an owl is almost silent, this is due to the special structure of the feathers. The first outer feathers are sawtooth and fringedly serrated. The third and fourth feathers of an owl are longer than the rest. The tail is rounded and clipped, and the tail feathers are bent. The wingspan of an owl is about 142-200 centimeters. These birds fly very fast: the speed of an owl in flight reaches 80 km / h.

The bird makes a characteristic clicking sound when irritated or excited. It turns out this is due to her beak. The beak of an owl is bent from the beginning to the very base, ends with a hook, the edges are even and without cuts.

Owls can turn their heads 180 and even 270 degrees without causing themselves any inconvenience or harm. The owl bird is a predator, and it needs to track down prey, so the eyes are not located on the sides, but in front.

The eyes of an owl are motionless and look only straight ahead. To change the direction of the gaze, the bird needs to turn its head. At the same time, the owl's field of view is 160 degrees, and its vision is binocular, unlike other birds. Owls see the world in black and white. The lens of owls is not in the eyeball, but in the horn tube, so the birds see perfectly at night.

The hearing of an owl is 4 times better than that of. As soon as the prey betrays itself with a rustle or sound, the bird rushes at it with lightning speed.

Types of owls, names and photos

In the owl family, 3 subfamilies, 30 genera and 214 species are distinguished, the most common of which are:

long-eared owl ( Asio otus)

The bird has a length of 31-36 centimeters. The wingspan reaches 86-98 cm. The color of this species of owl is dominated by a gray-brown hue with variegated spots, the chest is white. Dark spots are located on the upper side of the body, transverse stripes stand out on the underside. On the head of a long-eared owl are large ear tufts, which consist of six feathers.

It lives in coniferous forests, prefers European countries or northern Asia as nesting sites, flies to northern Africa for wintering. The long-eared owl feeds on rodents, voles, insects and birds.

Great Owl ( Strix nebulosa)

A large bird with a length of 80 cm and a wingspan of 1.5 meters. The big-headed bird has a smoky gray color. There are dark stripes around the yellow eyes of an owl.

The owl feeds on rodents and. For nesting, it chooses the nests of hawks and buzzards; it does not build nests itself. The black spot under the bird's beak looks like a beard, hence the name of the bird. The bird does not have feather ears; a white collar is located on the neck. The underside of the wings hides dark stripes.

The gray owl lives in the zone of taiga and mountain forests in the Baltic countries, in the European part of Russia, in Siberia, on Sakhalin, in Mongolia.

Owl ( Bubo bubo)

It has a length of 60-75 cm, a wingspan of 160-190 cm. The weight of a male owl reaches 2.1-2.7 kg, the weight of females is 3-3.2 kg. The eagle owl is the largest bird in the owl order. The plumage of the predator is dominated by reddish and ocher colors, the owl's eyes are bright orange, and there are bunches of elongated feathers above the eyes.

Eagle owls live in the forests and steppes of Eurasia, prey on rodents, mice, hedgehogs, hares, birds and other vertebrates.

Sparrow Owl ( Glaucidium passerinum)

The body length of the owl is 15-19 cm, the wingspan reaches 35-40 cm. The weight reaches 55-80 g. At the same time, males are smaller than females. The color of the owl has a gray-brown or dark brown color, white mottles are clearly distinguished on the feathers, larger on the back and small on the head. The bottom of the bird has a white color with longitudinal stripes of a brown hue. The tail is grey-brown with 5 narrow stripes. The head is small and has a round and slightly flattened shape; the owl has no ears. Around the eyes of the pygmy owl are white and brown rings. The eyes of the bird are yellow, there are white eyebrows above the eyes. The claws of the pygmy owl are black or yellow in color. The paws are fully feathered, down to the claws.

Little owl ( Athene noctua)

A small bird with a length of 25 cm and a weight of about 150-170 g. The color of the plumage of females and males is the same. The back of the bird has a light brown or sand color. Brown longitudinal variegated spots stand out on the white belly of the owl. Round white spots are located on the shoulder feathers.

The little owl lives in the south and in the center of Europe, in the north of Africa and in the southern Asian countries. In Russia, the owl is found mainly in the center and south of the European part, in the Southern Altai and Transbaikalia. Birds live in steppe and desert areas, build nests in stones and burrows. The little owl feeds on insects, lizards, rodents, and sometimes birds.

barn owl ( Tyto alba)

It differs from other species of owls in its heart-shaped facial disc. The length of the barn owl reaches 34-39 centimeters with a wingspan of 80-95 cm. The weight of a bird of prey is 190-700 grams. The color of the barn owl is red with numerous transverse mottles, stripes and specks. In this case, the color depends on the habitat of the bird. The tail of the bird is short. The barn owl's ears have an unusual asymmetrical arrangement: if the left one is at the level of the forehead, then the right one approaches the nostrils. Thanks to this feature, the bird hears very well.

Barn owl lives on all continents, except for cold Antarctica. In Russia, lives only on the territory of the Kaliningrad region.

Snowy owl (snowy owl) ( Bubo scandiacus, Nyctea scandiaca)

It has a body length of 55 to 70 cm, the weight of the bird is 2-3 kg. The wingspan reaches 143-166 cm. The color of the bird that lives in the tundra zone serves as a disguise for it, so white colors with dark spots predominate in it. The beak of the snowy owl is black, the eyes are bright yellow. The paws of the predator are completely pubescent.

The polar owl lives in Eurasia, North America, Greenland, on the islands of the Arctic Ocean. The white owl feeds on rodents, lemmings, hares, white partridges, geese, and fish. White owls are listed in the Red Book.

hawk owl ( Surnia ulula)

It lives in forest regions in Europe, North America and Asia. In Russia, it is found in Kamchatka, in the Magadan region, in Chukotka, on the coast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk. It feeds on rodents (mice, lemmings, voles), sometimes preys on squirrels, hazel grouse, black grouse, partridges and other birds.

The length of the bird reaches 45 cm. The tail of the bird is long, the color is brown-brown with white spots, thin stripes are located at the bottom of the body. The eyes and beak of the hawk owl are yellow.

Where do owls live?

Owls live all over the world, not only in Antarctica. 17 species of owls live in Russia. A large number of these birds can be found in forests, and only a few of them live in open areas.

Basically, the owl lives in hollows and nests. The eagle owl finds a home almost everywhere: in forests, mountains, steppes and deserts. The long-eared owl lives in all sorts of fields, as it hunts in open areas, but it creates its nests only in the forest. The white owl lives in the tundra, flies far to the south in winter, does not like wooded places. The Great Gray Owl lives only in dense taiga forests. Owl species such as barn owl and little owl find a home under roofs and in attics.

What does an owl eat?

The question of what an owl bird eats in nature is of interest to many people. This bird, both in its natural habitat and in captivity, eats rodents, small birds, insects, and animals. The diet depends on the habitat of the owl. Owls of medium and large sizes feed on rats), and birds living in coastal areas eat fish, crabs and mussels. Owls living in tropical countries eat fruits, plants and berries. An owl bird can live for several months without water, quenching its thirst with the blood of its victims.

Here we will stop on birds of prey.
Mostly they breed owls. It is very difficult to pass by a cute fluffy creature with huge eyes. People buy owls at the infamous "Bird Market" or bring owls from the forest, believing that they are "lost", "fell out of the nest." You can talk about the "Bird Market" endlessly. Obsessed with a thirst for profit, sellers recklessly lie to buyers in the hope of a profitable sale. Naturally. After all, few people want to keep a bird at home, which spoils a lot, yells at night and eats only mice. Moreover, it has all the "charms" of a wild animal - as a rule, sellers assure that owls are grown in nurseries, but in reality - all birds are caught by poachers. So people buy a pet, literally “stuffed” with helminths and various infections. And in birds, most diseases are asymptomatic and rapidly - yesterday the bird ate well and was active, and today it lies at the bottom of the cage.

Photo 1. Owl

Therefore, before acquiring an owl, think carefully, weigh your capabilities - do they match your desires?
So, owls. The owl is a nocturnal predator. This already says a lot - the main activity of the bird is precisely in the late evening, at night and in the early morning. At this time, owls hunt in nature. So in captivity it will be the same - from evening to morning the owl will rattle something, shout (especially during the mating season) preventing you from resting. So it is best to start an owl for people who lead a predominantly “nightly” lifestyle. Now let's deal with the concept of "predator". It is clear that such a bird cannot be fed with cereals, predators eat meat. But even here there is a difficulty - the owl's digestion is arranged in such a way that it needs to eat the whole carcass of a rodent or bird as a whole - with feathers, fur, bones. Accordingly, feeding chicken or beef disappears - get ready for the purchase of mice, day old chickens, quails. And they cost a lot and getting in the right amount is a problem.

Photo 2

But, let's say that the nightly screams and the specifics of the diet of owls do not scare you and you still want to get an owl. Then, first of all, you need to decide what kind of owl you can keep. The fact is that there are many and different owls - from small-sized owls (photo) to a huge owl (photo). Medium-sized owls are the gray owl (photo) and the Ural owl (photo). But still, for an ordinary city apartment, the owls are too big, they will need a lot of space for flights, and even if you have spacious rooms, the owl will still upholster the feather. Therefore, it is optimal to keep long-eared owls (photo), short-eared owls (photo) barn owls (photo) or the aforementioned owls.

Photo 3. Barn owl

Before you buy an owl, arrange an apartment for her in a suitable way. Yes Yes. Your apartment, not a cage in the apartment, because You can't keep owls in cages. An owl will certainly beat a feather on the bars, injure the wax (a soft place above the beak), and earn namin on its paws.

How to prepare a room for an owl.
First of all, you should remove all objects that the owl can knock over, tear, stain. Owls love to play, so keep in mind that you will have to strictly monitor the location of your belongings, especially socks and documents. Leave unattended - the owl will certainly pick up the "toy" and goodbye passport! The tulle on the windows needs to be replaced with thick curtains, because. in tulle, an owl can easily get tangled and, while it fights, it will break its paws or wings, or simply die, hanging upside down for several hours. Large mirrors should be removed or curtained (windows too), otherwise the owl may be seriously injured trying to fly through the glass.

Photo 4. Owls

It is necessary to nail "perches" on the walls - wooden or iron "sticks", always upholstered with something soft - for example, artificial grass "astroturf" or, at worst, carpet. Also, think over a place for a bath in advance - owls love to wash, for this they are given shallow wide containers of water (cat litter trays with high sides are perfect).

So the place is ready. Now you need to think about food for the owl. As I wrote above, owls must be fed with the carcasses of rodents and birds, and freshly slaughtered. Of course, you can also give thawed carcasses, but “live” food must be present in the diet, because. frozen meat loses some essential trace elements.

Photo 5. Long-eared owl

You can buy rodents at a pet store, but the prices there “bite” and most often there is not the right amount. After all, even a medium-sized eared owl eats at least two mice per day. So it is better to buy mice in bulk at the Bird Market. You can also buy day old chicks and quails there. Keep in mind that if mice and chickens can be given to an owl without carcass preparation, then the quail must be opened and the insides carefully removed and the head and legs cut off. The fact is that these birds often have various diseases that can be transmitted to your owl during a meal.

Photo 6. Long-eared owl chick

Do you still want to have an owl at home? Then about buying:
Owls must be purchased in official nurseries, making sure that when you buy you have all the documents for an owl and the number on the document matches the number stamped on the ring (birds are ringed in nurseries). Thus, you will be insured against the removal of birds (catching and keeping wild birds is prohibited by law), moreover, birds from nurseries are more tame and healthy. Although immediately after acquiring an owl, it is necessary to show the owl to a veterinarian, pass the necessary tests, just in case, take an x-ray. By the way, not every veterinary clinic has a veterinarian who understands birds. In Moscow, there is a veterinarian-ornithologist at the White Fang clinic and at the Moscow Zoo, in the Moscow region, birds are taken at the Cobra clinic, which is located in Krasnogorsk.

As a rule, in the nursery you will be offered a choice of the most common species - this is a long-eared owl, a short-eared owl, a gray owl, an owl (there is also a gray owl (photo), but it is large for an apartment) and various owls. When choosing the type of owl, you should remember that even a small eared owl needs a lot of space (at least a room), so I strongly do not recommend purchasing long-tailed owls, bearded owls, and even more so an eagle owl. Small owls are no worse than larger species, they are just as sociable and playful, and they are not inferior in beauty to plumage. It is better to buy a very young owlet, he will quickly get used to his hands, and like all cubs, owlets are very funny. It is quite easy to distinguish a chick from an adult - the owls are covered with delicate fluff, the older owls are already beginning to grow with an “adult” feather, but their tails are noticeably shorter than those of adults, and in some places the fluff is still preserved. It is necessary to transport an owl in a closed spacious box (a cat carrier is not the best option, because the owl will see through the carrying grate, respectively, it will get frightened out of habit and begin to fight). At the bottom of the box you need to lay a soft diaper, cut a few very small holes in the walls of the box for air access. If an owl is purchased in winter, then the time spent on the street should be limited as much as possible, otherwise there is a risk of catching a cold.

When you arrive home, do not scare the owl, let it look around. To do this, simply open the box and leave the bird alone for a while.
After a couple of hours, you can offer the owlet food and water. Sometimes the owls cannot yet tear apart the carcasses, so the carcass must be finely chopped. Place the water so that the owlet can see it perfectly - when he pays attention to the bathing suit - chat in the water with your hand, thus showing the presence of water in the container. Over time, the owlet will determine whether there is water, but while it is small and in an unusual environment, you should pay much more attention to it, without disturbing or frightening it - try not to pick it up, do not make excessively sudden movements, do not shout.

Always offer food from your hands - so the owl will get used to you faster.
Carefully monitor the digestion and appearance of the pet. After each meal, the owl should discard the pellet. The pellet is the undigested bones, wool and feathers that the birds regurgitate about 10 hours after feeding. If there is no pellet, this is a reason to worry about the health of the pet. You should also inspect the pellets - they should not have blood on them, the pellet should not smell bad. Pay attention to the droppings - normal owl droppings are a white "puddle" with a little bit of darker, harder droppings. If the droppings become foul-smelling, yellow or brown, or thinner, contact your veterinarian.
The normal behavior of a healthy owl is very different from the behavior of a diseased owl. A sick bird loses its appetite, becomes apathetic, sits for hours with its eyes closed, squints, half covering its eyes with its lower eyelid, the feather, especially under the tail, sticks together and becomes dirty. All of the above are signs of a disease. Therefore, in such cases, the owl should be shown to the veterinarian as soon as possible. Diseases in birds proceed rapidly, there is not a minute to lose.

Yulia Mikhailina,
experienced owl owner