Tawny owl
Strix aluco
Habitat
The Tawny owl is found in almost all of Europe. This Owl species is absent from forest-poor, dry regions and snowy areas in northern Europe. The Tawny owl also does not live in Ireland and Iceland.
This Owl species inhabits open and semi-open forests, deciduous forests and mixed forests. In addition, the Tawny owl is found in farmyards, agricultural fields with trees, (urban) parks, green residential areas, larger gardens in villages and towns, tree-lined urban avenues, rocky areas with sufficient tree and shrub vegetation and lives locally in dune areas.
It is important for the Tawny owl that the habitat consists of sufficient trees, food availability and roosting and nesting sites.
Appearance
Diet
The Tawny owl specializes in catching and killing live prey.
Breeding
The breeding season takes place from February through July. Normally, the Tawny owl lives monogamously and forms a pair for life. In some relationships, bigamy prevails, where a male forms a relationship with 2 females.
Early in the breeding season, the Tawny owl marks out the territory and starts looking for a mate. When the male has found a potential mate, he will start the courtship call. The female responds with her own courtship call. Then the pair will cuddle and rub against each other’s beaks, strengthening the bond between them.
The Tawny owl nests in a burrow of a tree, cliff, old woodpecker burrow, old magpie nest or an old squirrel nest. Sometimes this Owl species uses a hole in the ground or nests between tree roots.
The female lays 1 clutch consisting of 2 to 9 eggs with a laying interval of 2 to 4 days. The female incubates the eggs while the male provides her with food. After 28 to 30 days, the eggs hatch asynchronously.
The female stays with the chicks until they are about 15 days old. After this, she will leave the nest to help the male forage and feed the chicks. After 25 to 30 days, the chicks leave the nest and hide in nearby branches. After 32 to 37, the young fly out and after 3 months the young are fully independent.
How can you help the Tawny owl?
If you live in suitable habitat, you could hang a nesting box for the Tawny owl in your yard. When a pair moves into the nest box, you should leave the pair alone. This is because the Tawny owl may react aggressively when you come near the nest.
Special owl boxes are available for the Tawny owl. The entrance opening (with a diameter of 13 cm) should be at the front, so that the Tawny owl can fly directly into the nest box. The entrance opening should not face south and west. In addition, you should not place the nesting box in a place in full sunlight. It is best to place the hive at a minimum height of 4 m in a large and sturdy tree.
You should definitely not place the nesting box above a pool or pond, because the chicks will drop down when leaving the nest. If there is a pool or pond below the nest, the chicks will drown.