Common Name: Ural Owl Scientific Name: Strix uralensis
LEAST CONCERN Ural Owl Distribution: Northern Europe & Asia
Habitat: Forest Height: 50 - 62cm Weight: 500 - 1300g Diet: Carnivorous
The Ural owl is a grey owl with dark eyes. The upper side of the body is grey to grey brown in colour and the underside is white with streaks of grey. The Ural owl has a long tail which hangs down when it flies which is a characteristic feature. They have a concave dish-like face which helps to direct sound to their ear holes. The Ural owl is found in northern Europe and ranges from Scandinavia and the Baltic region across Russia and Siberia to Korea and Japan. The preferred habitat is mature open forest. The species is locally more common in coniferous and mixed forest in central Europe, but is also found in beech forest. The Ural owl eats a range of items including rodents, hares, birds, frogs and insects. This means that their numbers are not as effected as some other owl species when rodent numbers crash. Breeding occurs between February and July. The nest may be in a tree hole or it may be a renovated old crow or raptor nest. The Ural owl is also amenable to using owl nest boxes. The female lays 3 – 4 eggs which she incubates for 28 – 35 days. By five weeks of age, the young have left the nest and within several weeks of doing this, they are able to fly. They stay with their parents for a further eight weeks before leaving, as Ural owls are very territorial. The Ural owl is not globally threatened, but is suffering from habitat loss.