adult

adult in flight European distribution young bird in tree

Identification

The Tawny is the big brown owl of most of our parks and woodlands, readily identified, even in silhouette, by its bulky outline with a big, broad rounded head. It is the only British brown owl to have completely dark eyes. The best way to find one is to listen for the alarm calls of other birds, especially if several species are involved; the squawk of a Jay, the rattle of a Mistle Thrush, the tutting of a Blackbird and the pinking of a Chaffinch are all, especially if perpetuated for some time, sure signs of a predator nearby although sometimes it may prove to be just a cat.

Habitat

Breeds and winters in woods, parks and gardens.

Behaviour

Young Tawny Owls, still covered in fluffy down, are sometimes found by day, sitting on the woodland floor. Such birds have not been abandoned and should therefore be left alone, or maybe moved to a branch where cats are less likely to find them. The adult birds can and will do a much better job of rearing the chick than humans ever could.

Migration

Mainly a resident bird and breeding adults are sedentary and territorial.

This information is taken from the BirdFile on the appropriate BirdGuides DVD-ROM. As well as video and sounds, our CD- and DVD-ROMs contain additional text on Voice, Sexing, Ageing, Food, Nests and Eggs and more.

For the purposes of our bird news services, Tawny Owl is classed as Common: common species, including species that are certain or probable escapees from captivity when occurring in the British Isles. (Note that rarity levels are currently applied nationally and may not reflect local variations in abundance.)

Burton Mill Pond, W Sussex 06/02/2010	Burton Mill Pond, W Sussex 01/02/2010	Burton Mill Pond, W Sussex 31/01/2010	Burton Mill Pond, W Sussex 31/01/2010	Ipswich, Suffolk 24/01/2010
Kensington Gardens, London 16/01/2010	Ipswich, Suffolk 15/01/2010	Ipswich, Suffolk 08/01/2010	Ipswich, Suffolk 08/01/2010	Himley, Staffs 25/12/2009

 View all pictures of Tawny Owl

Tawny Owl breeds in the following countries (Bird News Extra subscribers will see population statistics and information on trends for each country):

Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Britain
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Gibraltar
Greece
Hungary
Italy
Latvia
Lichtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Moldova
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Serbia and Montenegro
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukraine

http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob7610.htm   BTO BirdFacts: Tawny Owl	Edit this link
	Broken link
Recommend a new link

BirdGuides Ltd are not responsible for the content of external sites. If you find a broken link, please click the appropriate "Broken link" link above`.

	BTO: Where’s Brown Owl?	Friday 6th November 2009
	Join in with BBC Autumnwatch and try to find your neighbourhood Tawny Owls.   read on
	BTO: Tawny Owl Survey 2005 - can you help?	Monday 11th July 2005
	This autumn BTO are running a Tawny Owl Survey (between 15 August and 15 October) and are looking for volunteers to help – interested?   read on

 BirdGuides webzine