The Ural Owl Strix uralensis

Features

The ural owl is our second largest owl. Near their nests, the the ural owl very aggressive and mercilessly defends its litter. According to the latest estimation, there are 600 - 700 pairs of the ural owls nesting in Slovenia and they represent 5% of the entire European population.

Species	Bird
Living space	Conifer forest, Deciduous forest
Size	55 - 60 cm
Weight	780 g

Description

They are grayish brown and have darker longitudinal lines, particularly on their backs and wings. They have longer tails than most owls. They have large heads and dense, circularly placed feathers on their heads that give them the appearance of a "face". They also see spectacularly well in the dark. Since they cannot move their eyes inside of their sockets, they instead turn their whole heads, sometimes entirely towards their backs. Owls have the best hearing of all birds. The wingspan of the adult bird is between 115 and 125 cm. The ural owl is a predator, mostly eating rodents and small birds. The ural owl swallows its prey whole. They live in mixed mountain or lowland forests. Most often, we can recognize them by their distinctive call: hoohoo. Like all other owls, they do not build nests, but lay eggs in tree cavities, the nests of other birds, or even in nesting boxes.