Western Siberian eagle owl
Tura lives at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary at Stonham Barns, Stonham Aspal, Suffolk.
The western Siberian eagle owl is one of the twelve or more subspecies of the Eurasian eagle owl. It is distributed from the Ural mountains in western Siberia and Bashkiria to the western Altai mountains, via the river Ob at the point where Russia, China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia converge. They inhabit mountainous forest, semi-desert, rocky slopes, steppes and other relatively remote places.
This is a large owl, standing between 23 and 28 in. (58.5 to 71 cm) tall. Males have a wing chord of 17 to 19 in. (43 to 48 cm), while females measure 18.5 to 20 in. (47 to 51 cm). Males have wingspans of 61 in. to 67 in. (155 to 170 cm) and weighed 3.6 to 7.1 lb. (1.62 to 3.2 kg), with females have a wingspan of 65 in. to 75 in. (165 to 190 cm) and weigh 5 to 9.9 lb. (2.28 to 4.5 kg).
This subspecies is physically the most distinctive of all the Eurasian eagle owls and is sometimes considered the most beautiful and striking. It is the palest of the eagle owl subspecies, the general coloration is a buffy off-white overlaid with dark markings. The crown, hindneck and underparts are streaked blackish but somewhat sparingly, with the lower breast and belly indistinctly barred. The primary covert feathers are dark, contrasting with rest of the wing. The head, back and shoulders are only somewhat dark unlike in most other subspecies. The facial disc is poorly developed, and they have distinctive orange eyes and ear tufts.
It is a mostly nocturnal predator. Because it inhabits the most northerly extremes of the Eurasian eagle owl’s range, this subspecies must get by on a far less varied diet than those in the south. The proportion of rodents in particular is proportionally higher, as they are often the only accessible prey in sub-Arctic conditions. As such, their diet largely consists of lemmings and hardier vole species. It is capable of hunting a range of different prey species other than small mammals including birds of varying sizes, medium size mammals such as rabbits and hares, roe deer fawns, young foxes and farmyard cats, plus reptiles, amphibians, fish, large insects and assorted invertebrates.
This owl prefers sheltered nest sites between rocks and cave entrances, typically using a nest abandoned by another large bird. However, they may simply nest on the ground, where the female will examine a number of depressions before selecting the most suitable. On average two eggs are laid at intervals. These hatch at different times. The female incubates the eggs and broods the young, and the male provides food for her and the chicks. Continuing parental care for the young is provided by both adults for about five months.
With a total range in Europe and Asia of about 12 million square miles (32 million km2) and a total population estimated to be between 250,000 and 2.5 million, the IUCN lists the bird's conservation status as being of 'Least Concern'.
Western Siberian eagle owl
Tura lives at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary at Stonham Barns, Stonham Aspal, Suffolk.
The western Siberian eagle owl is one of the twelve or more subspecies of the Eurasian eagle owl. It is distributed from the Ural mountains in western Siberia and Bashkiria to the western Altai mountains, via the river Ob at the point where Russia, China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia converge. They inhabit mountainous forest, semi-desert, rocky slopes, steppes and other relatively remote places.
This is a large owl, standing between 23 and 28 in. (58.5 to 71 cm) tall. Males have a wing chord of 17 to 19 in. (43 to 48 cm), while females measure 18.5 to 20 in. (47 to 51 cm). Males have wingspans of 61 in. to 67 in. (155 to 170 cm) and weighed 3.6 to 7.1 lb. (1.62 to 3.2 kg), with females have a wingspan of 65 in. to 75 in. (165 to 190 cm) and weigh 5 to 9.9 lb. (2.28 to 4.5 kg).
This subspecies is physically the most distinctive of all the Eurasian eagle owls and is sometimes considered the most beautiful and striking. It is the palest of the eagle owl subspecies, the general coloration is a buffy off-white overlaid with dark markings. The crown, hindneck and underparts are streaked blackish but somewhat sparingly, with the lower breast and belly indistinctly barred. The primary covert feathers are dark, contrasting with rest of the wing. The head, back and shoulders are only somewhat dark unlike in most other subspecies. The facial disc is poorly developed, and they have distinctive orange eyes and ear tufts.
It is a mostly nocturnal predator. Because it inhabits the most northerly extremes of the Eurasian eagle owl’s range, this subspecies must get by on a far less varied diet than those in the south. The proportion of rodents in particular is proportionally higher, as they are often the only accessible prey in sub-Arctic conditions. As such, their diet largely consists of lemmings and hardier vole species. It is capable of hunting a range of different prey species other than small mammals including birds of varying sizes, medium size mammals such as rabbits and hares, roe deer fawns, young foxes and farmyard cats, plus reptiles, amphibians, fish, large insects and assorted invertebrates.
This owl prefers sheltered nest sites between rocks and cave entrances, typically using a nest abandoned by another large bird. However, they may simply nest on the ground, where the female will examine a number of depressions before selecting the most suitable. On average two eggs are laid at intervals. These hatch at different times. The female incubates the eggs and broods the young, and the male provides food for her and the chicks. Continuing parental care for the young is provided by both adults for about five months.
With a total range in Europe and Asia of about 12 million square miles (32 million km2) and a total population estimated to be between 250,000 and 2.5 million, the IUCN lists the bird's conservation status as being of 'Least Concern'.