European Eagle Owl

taken from bbc.co.uk

Eagle owl

The eagle owl is found in north Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe. It is extremely rare in Britain but some have been seen in the Scottish Highlands. It's the giant of all the European owls and can grow to be more than 70 centimetres long with a total wingspan of nearly two metres. The females are heavier than the males and can weigh more than four kilograms.
Like most owls, the eagle owl hunts at night, swooping down on any small animal that ventures out into the open. It will catch whatever food it can - mice, voles, hares, young deer, crows, gulls and crabs are all on the menu.

The eagle owl's feathers are flecked in shades of brown and black. The mottled appearance means it is camouflaged and is less likely to be disturbed when roosting during the day. Its chin and chest are paler in colour. It has two 'ear tufts' but its ears are actually on the side of its face, one a little higher than the other so it can pinpoint sound precisely. The feathers around the eyes form a dish shape to funnel sound into the ears. The owl has orange eyes and excellent vision and it can swivel its heads 270 degrees in one direction to locate prey.

Eagle owls are usually solitary birds that fiercely defend their territories. But males and females pair up during the mating season, when you can hear them calling to one another. They keep the same partners for life. They like to nest on cliff ledges and rock crevices and sometimes they take over nests that have been abandoned by other large birds. If they can't find a suitable rocky place, they might nest on the ground beneath trees and bushes.