The Eagle Owl is the largest of the Night birds of preyof Europe. A predator by nature, this animal is capable of feeding on large prey and different species. They are secretive and solitary, and can live in very diverse habitats although they prefer open rocky areas rather than wooded areas.
Although they were obviously not born to be pets, in this article on our site we are going to explain in detail everything you need to know about the feeding of the eagle owl, and here is the first important thing: the decrease in its fundamental prey (the rabbit), being run over, accidents with power lines and poaching of this bird, constitute its main conservation problems.
Eagle Owl Habitat
The natural habitat of the eagle owl is large forests and areas uninhabited by humans, but currently this bird species can be found in semi-desert areas, temperate forests, steppes and even in the tundra. Although they prefer the more open and rocky areas to more easily hunt their prey, eagle-owls have adapted to live in different biotopes.
These birds generally make nests on cliffs or rocky cliffs, located between sea level and up to more than 2,000 m in altitude. You can also use old nests of other birds of prey, such as buzzards or goshawks. And even in certain areas, where the density of territorial pairs of owls is very high, they can nest directly on the ground.
The eagle owl is a very territorial animal that uses various systems to signal the occupation and borders of its territory, such as the Territorial songs from song innkeepers or marking rocks with their droppings.
Eagle Owl Feeding
The eagle owl is a superpredator found at one of the highest points in the food chain. Their diet is variable and depends on many factors, such as the season of the year, the place where they live and the amount of prey in their habitat.
Normally hunt at night, preferring open, rocky spaces to groves. The flapping of their wings is very silent, and together with their perfect night vision, their sharp claws, and their hearing acuity, they are some exceptional animals for hunting Thanks to their excellent sense of hearing, they can hunt even in complete darkness, and are able to immobilize their prey in a few seconds with their claws.
The feeding of the eagle owl is very varied and is basically made up of rabbits, small rodents, insects, squirrels, hares, hedgehogs, other birds such as pigeons, blackbirds, magpies, partridges, corvids, owls or jackdaws; They can even capture prey weighing up to 10 kg, such as some foxes or fawns, some reptiles or fish, and other large birds of prey such as red kites or buzzards.
Once the prey is digested, regurgitate through the mouth the less digestible parts such as hair, skin, feathers and bones, in the form of pellets (balls of remains), after approximately 10 hours, because eagle owls do not chew but rather swallow their prey. To do this, they use their beak to tear the meat into easily swallowable pieces and eat them without chewing.
The amount of food these birds need depends on their species and size.
Eagle owl hunting techniques
The eagle owl belongs to the strigid family and has several hunting techniques that it can use both in flight and passively on land. The most common is the stalking or ambush technique, which consists of remaining motionless in a hunting area waiting for the time to hunt down its prey, leaving fall in absolute silence on some animal that goes to look for food at night, although its hunting activity can start from sunset to sunrise.
This technique is shared with other nocturnal or strigiform birds of prey, as well as many physical characteristics such as: a flattened face, a large head and eyes, and short, rounded wings. In addition, they also share with their cousins the titonidae, excellent hearing and visual acuity, and the amazing ability to turn their neck up to 270º
