Tawny Owl

Photo by Nigel Blake

Strix aluco

Identification

L 37-43 cm, WS 81-96 cm
A medium sized predominantly brown owl with a stocky body and a neckless appearance. The colour varies throughout its vast range and there are 11 recognized subspecies.

Distribution

One of the commonest and most widespread owls of the Region.

Breeds throughout Britain (but not Ireland), and from Iberia east across Europe to the Urals. Reaches southern Norway, central Sweden and the southern half of Finland in the north and in the south found as far as the north Mediterranean coast but absent from most islands except Sardinia and Sicily and may occur on some eastern Aegean islands such as Rhodes. Occurs in Turkey except the interior, the Caucasus, at a few sites in the Middle East and in northern Iraq. In North-West Africa found in the coastal strip from south Morocco to north Tunisia.

Mainly resident but juveniles disperse fairly short distances in August-October. In the far north of range may move more extensively in severe weather.

Vagrants have been recorded on the Balearic and Canary Islands.

Taxonomy

Subspecies^[1]

About 10 races occur in the Region differing slightly in size and in minor plumage characters but there is much individual variation.

• S. a. aluco:

• Northern and eastern Europe to Ukraine, Crimea, Balkans and Black Sea

• S. a. siberiae: is the largest and palest with reduced markings

• Ural Mountains to western Siberia

• S. a. sylvatica: is smallest and usually the most rufous

• Britain, France, Iberia, southern Italy, Greece, western and central Turkey

• S. a. mauritanica: lacks rufous morph found in most populations

• Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia

• S. a. willkonskii: Large and heavily marked

• North-eastern Turkey, Caucasus and north-western Iran to Turkmenistan

• S. a. sanctinicolai: smaller

• Zagros Mountains (north-eastern Iraq and western Iran)

• S. a. harmsi:

• Turkestan

• S. a. biddulphi:

• Pakistan and north-western India

• S. a. ma:

• North-eastern China and Korea

• S. a. yamadae:

• Mountains of southern Taiwan

Himalayan Owl was formerly considered a subspecies of this species.

Habitat

Mainly deciduous or mixed lowland woodland, but at over 2000m in Turkey. Also farmland with copses and scattered trees, town parks and large gardens

Behaviour

This is primarily a woodland owl, the most nocturnal of the owls occuring in the UK. Fairly numerous. Sedentary. Nocturnal.

Breeding

Nests in hole. Breeds in forests, parkland, wooded farmland, preferring old broadleaf trees (ancient oaks etc. providing large holes); frequently found near man in gardens and towns. Aggressive when young leave nest, can attack intruder.

Diet

Food, mainly voles and insects, taken on ground after watch from perch.

Vocalisation

The song is a long quavering hoot followed by a faint monosyllable, a short pause and then an extended soft tremolo which falls in pitch. The female sometimes gives a higher-pitched version of this song, but her usual call is a sharp 'ke-wick' <flashmp3>Strix aluco (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program

References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Tawny Owl. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Tawny_Owl

External Links

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