Owl Breeds and Information

[The Moon]

The Owl Directory

You walk into a quiet, small library with book shelves lining the walls. There is a coffee table surrounded by comfortable looking chairs in the middle of the room, and a desk tucked into the corner. The only one in sight is a regal looking owl standing quietly on the desk watching you. Besides its feet sits a large, old book. You walk over and open it carefully, and find a list of owl breeds and what books have information on them.

_Index_
1| Introduction / Index
2| Great Horned Owl _ Bubo virginianus
3| Greater Sooty Owl _ Tyto tenebricosa
4| Lesser Sooty Owl _ Tyto multipunctata
5| Oriental Bay Owl _ Phodilus badius
6| Common Barn Owl _ Tyto alba
7| Snowy Owl _ Bubo scandiacus
8| Spotted/African Eagle Owl _ Bubo africanus
9| Ural Owl _ Strix uralensis

[The Moon]

Great Horned Owl
Bubo virginianus

image (c) Claudia Petersons

Description;; The name "Great Horned Owl" is derived from the tufts of feathers at the top of their head. These are sometimes referred to as "ear tufts" but they are not ears and have nothing to do with the owl's hearing. Females are 10 to 20% larger than males. Wild owls can live up to 13 years, and owls in captivity up to 28 to 38 years.

Habitat;; Great Horned Owls have adapted to many different places and climates. They occur in habitats from dense forests, deserts and plains to city parks. They have been known to inhabit the same area as the diurnal red-tailed hawk. (Owl Pages)

Size;; Height- 18 to 25" (46 to 63.5cm). Wingspan- 36 to 60" (91 to 152cm). Weight- 2 to 4lbs (900-1800g).

Distribution;; These owls are found throughout the Americas, most heavily in North and Central America. From the northern treeline in Canada down to about the middle of South America. They stay all year round, but the birds living more north may migrate south in cold weather.

Diet;; Great Horned Owls eat a variety of different animals, including frogs and fish, chicken, fowl, and other domestic birds, rodents, rabbits, and a few reptiles. They also hunt basically any other owl species within its range besides Snowy Owls. A Great Horned Owl is powerful enough to take prey two to three times heavier than itself.

Pellets are very large, about 3 to 4" (7.6 to 10.2 cm) long and 1.5" (3.8 cm) thick. Pellets are dark greyish-black and compact. Skulls as wide as 1.2" (3 cm) are regurgitated whole. Pellets are regurgitated 6 to 10 hours after eating.

Breeding;; These owls nest in January or February, and males and females hoot to each other to attract mates. Two to four eggs are laid on average and incubated by the female for only 26 to 35 days.

Status;; Widespread, not threatened.

[The Moon]

Greater Sooty Owl
Tyto tenebricosa

image (c) Nik Borrow

Description;; Females are slightly bigger than males. No one knows how long they live for.

Habitat;; They live in moist eucalypt forest, sometimes moving to less wet areas to hunt. They are territorial but they aren't too active- preferring long periods of rest in between flights.

Size;; Female - Length; 17 to 20 in (44 to 51 cm) | Weight; 1.5 to 2 lbs (750 to 1000g)
Male - Length; 14.5 to 17 in (37 to 43 cm) | Weight; 1 to 1.5 lbs (500-700g)

Distribution;; Found along the coast and in the mountains of south-eastern Australia. Also reported on Flinders Island in the Bass Strait, and in the rainforests of New Guinea.

Diet;; The Greater Sooty Owl, unlike the Lesser Soot and the rest of the 'Tyto' owls, take most of their prey out of trees, while most owls prefer to catch their prey off the ground. Greater Soots eat mostly Sugar Gliders and Ringtail Possums, among a variety of other mammals. During breeding season the male does all the hunting, but every other time the female hunts for herself.

Breeding;; They have no actual breeding season, but most eggs are laid between January and June, with some reports of eggs being found as late as September. They nest mostly in tree hollows, but have been known to nest in caves when they can't find a tree. Usually only one to two eggs are laid per clutch.

Status;; Unknown- thought to be endangered.

[The Moon]

Lesser Sooty Owl
Tyto multipunctata

image (c) Jonathan Munro

Description;; Lesser Soots can be told apart from Greater Soots by size and coloration. Lesser Sooty Owls are, obviously, smaller. They also have light black to grey backdrop with dark markings, while Greater Sooty Owls have dark backdrop with white/pale markings. Females are larger than males, and there are no records of mortality rate.

Habitat;; Mountain rainforests of north Queensland.

Size;; Female - Length; 14 to 15 in (35-38cm) Weight; up to 1.2lbs (540g)
Male - Length; 12 to 14 in (31-35cm) Weight; up to 1lb (450g)

Distribution;; Northeastern Australia in the Atherton region of Queensland. There have been sightings recorded on Hinchinbrook Island. (Owl Pages)

Diet;; Lesser Sooty Owls eat mostly small mammals, but also eat insects and some small birds.

Breeding;; Most eggs are laid between March and May, but the season can vary depending on the rain. Owls become noisier at the start of the season, both for territorial reasons and to find a mate.

Status;; Unknown, thought to be threatened.

[The Moon]

Oriental Bay Owl
Phodilus Badius

image (c) zero3images

Habitat;; Mostly woodland, though may live in some man-made structures.

Size;; Female and male variations unknown. Generally 9 to 13 in (23-33cm) 0.5 to 0.7 lbs (255-308g)

Distribution;; Southeastern Asia, mostly from Northeastern India to Southeastern China and in several places scattered across Vietnam, Thailand, and Sri Lanka.

Diet;; Mostly takes small prey- mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs, and insects to name a few.

Breeding;; Season varies depending on area. They usually nest in a tree hollow or stump, and lay around 3 to 5 eggs.

Status;; Not considered to be globally threatened, but the breed has a lot of low population densities throughout its range.

[The Moon]

Common Barn Owl
Tyto alba

image (c) unknown

Description;; Females and males are the same size, but females and younger owls are usually more densely spotted. Common Barns usually only live a few years, with the oldest known wild owl being 17 years. The oldest known owl in captivity was 25 years.

Habitat;; Barn owls can be found in almost any habitat, but prefer open fields and woodland. They rest in tree hollows, but have been found in caves and man-made structures.

Size;; Female - Length; 13.5 to 15.5 in (34-40cm) Weight; 1.25 lbs (570g)
Male - Length; 12.5 to 15 in (32-38cm) Weight; a little less than 1 lb (470g)

Distribution;; Common Barns are found on all continents except Antarctica.

Diet;; Barn Owls hunt small ground animals the best, usually rodents. They also hunt rabbits, bats, frogs, lizards, birds, and insects.

Breeding;; There is no season, these owls breed throughout the year. 3 to 6 eggs are laid per clutch, but they reproduce more eggs during years of hefty food supply.

Status;; Common and non-threatened.

[The Moon]

Spotted Eagle Owl
Bubo africanus

image (c) Jeff Dalt

Description;; Eagle Owls are medium to large owls, easily identified by their prominent ear tufts that are smaller than the Great Horned Owl's. No size variation is recorded between sexes.

Habitat;; They live mostly in Savannah, rocky outcrops, open and semi-open woodland, and semi-deserts.

Size;; Length; 18 in (45cm) Weight; 1 to 2 lbs (480-850g)

Range;; From Southern Africa to parts of the Arabian Peninsula.

Diet;; Invertebrates, small mammals, birds and reptiles.

Breeding;; The breeding season lasts from July to as late as February, and lay 2 to 4 eggs per clutch.

Status;; Common and non-threatened.

[The Moon]

Snowy Owl
Bubo scandiacus

image (c) NRDC

Description;; Intensity of dark spotting varies with the sex, females being the darkest. Juveniles are uniformly brown with scattered white tips of down. Females are larger than males. Snowy Owls can live up to ten years in the wild and 35 years in captivity.

Habitat;; Snowy Owls, as their name suggests, prefer Arctic tundra. They also nest in open grasslands. They rarely if ever nest in wooded areas. They can also be found around lakes, ocean coasts, marshes, and sometimes even on buildings in cities or towns.

Size;; Female - Length; 26 in (66 cm) Weight; 3.75 lbs (1700g)
Male - Length; 23 in (59 cm) Weight; 3.5 lbs (1612g)

Distribution;; They live mostly in the Northern Arctic regions of North America, Greenland, and Eurasia. During winter seasons, they will move farther North to as far as North Carolina and California in North America, and down to China in Asia. They also migrate during low-lemming years.

Diet;; The Snowy Owl's diet consists of mostly lemming, with some other rodents in between, including vole, mice, and rat. They also take rabbits, birds including ducks and geese, and fish.

Breeding;; These owls breed mostly in May, and the clutch size is highly dependent on food supply, ranging from 5 to 14 eggs. They nest mostly on elevated rises in the tundra, where they have a good view of the surrounding land. Some have been known to take eagle nests.

Status;; Common and non-threatened.