Eurasian Eagle-Owl

How to recognise it

• Clear ear tufts, orange-yellow iris and a big head, tufts not visible in flight
• Breast heavily streaked black on yellowish brown, belly rusty yellow with fine black streaks
• Dark brown upperparts with coarse spots and black barring, black bill and feet
• Female clearly larger than male, young birds have fairly small tufts and down on the head

Call and song

The male's song is a very deep two-syllable hooting, the second syllable clearly lower. It is heard mainly in late winter, sometimes in autumn, and can carry up to 4 kilometres in good weather. The female's call is a hoarse barking rhäeff. Young birds beg for food with a loud tju-ysch heard on August nights.

Where and when

It is resident in Sweden, breeding locally in southern and central Sweden, on Gotland and in much of Norrland, mainly near the coast. In the early 2000s the population was estimated at about 500 free-breeding pairs. It is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the Swedish Red List. It is reported most in January and rarely in August. Its share of all bird reports is highest in Dalarna and Skåne.

Food and behaviour

It is active at night and by day may sit still in some hidden spot. It feeds mainly on rodents such as brown rats and water voles, and also takes hares, rabbits, ducks, corvids and gulls. Its ear tufts are held low to the sides when relaxed and raised when it calls or is agitated. The nest is often on a cliff ledge.