Birds · Strigiformes · Strigidae

Tawny Owl

Strix aluco

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

It is extremely sedentary and territorial: once it settles a territory in its first autumn, it rarely leaves it for the rest of its life.

Weight

330 g – 800 g

Size

37 cm – 46 cm

Lifespan

4 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Temperate forestCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Bird Temperate forest

45countries 206parks18same family

Fun facts

Its iconic nocturnal 'twit-twoo' is in fact a duet between male and female.
It eats small rodents, small birds and earthworms.
It lives in deciduous and mixed woodland, farmland with trees, parks and large gardens across Europe.
sentidosIt can pinpoint a small rodent under as much as 30 centimetres of snow by sound alone.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - pneumatised bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Deciduous and mixed woodland, farmland with trees, parks and large gardens of Europe and western Asia
Birth weight: Tiny, blind and covered in white down on hatching
Size at birth: Tiny at hatching
Sexual maturity: 1 year
Gestation / incubation: 28-30 days
Litter / clutch size: 2 to 3 eggs per clutch
Lifespan in captivity: Documented record of up to 27 years in captivity

Sources consulted: A-Z Animals; Hawk and Owl Trust; Animal Diversity Web; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Barn Owl Trust; Grokipedia (Tawny owl); The Animal Facts