Hawk Owl: description and photo

Hawk owl is the queen of forests in the northern part of Eurasia, on the coasts of Kamchatka and the Sea of Okhotsk. It, being one of the most extraordinary wild birds, is considered by many peoples as a symbol of wisdom and knowledge.

Appearance

Numerous features distinguish this species from other owls. The name its hawk-owl received for its resemblance to the hawk, which is expressed not only externally, but also in behavior and habits. The bird is of medium size, its weight does not exceed 380 g. A small head with a slightly expressed very light facial disc is slightly flattened, there are no feather "ears" on it. Eyes and beak are yellow. The wingspan is about 70-80 cm. Females of the same size as males sometimes meet and are larger. Paws with black claws are covered with rather dense feathers.

The general color is dark brown with bright specks on the back, neck and shoulders. The lighter surface of the abdomen and breast has a pronounced transverse pattern. Nadhvoste a little lighter than the back. There is an opinion that with age, the Hawk Hawk becomes lighter. The photos and the description of these birds make it possible to verify how bright and dark the piester, the carp and stripes on the body mask the owl beneath the birch bark. Due to this color it is also called a birch owl.

Habitat

The forests of North America, the taiga belt of Europe and Asia, the Central regions of Russia and Siberia are the places where this bird prefers to nest. Less common is a hawk owl in Tien Shan, Mongolia, Sakhalin and Primorye.

Taiga, forest-tundra - the most popular habitat of owls. They settle in a riverine spruce forest, in forests growing along the perimeter of large bogs, wherever there is a lot of arboreal coniferous vegetation. Often these birds nest in shrinking felling, old garbage. The favorite habitat in the mountains are the valleys of the rivers flowing down from the mountains and the periphery of the meadows.

Methods for identifying owls

A full account of hawks owls is quite a difficult matter, because for this it is required to conduct routes along the swampy and difficult terrain. During the passage of these sites, the phonograms of the screams of the female and male are reproduced in order to take more fully into account.

In the process of searching, hollows and peaks of broken trees are carefully examined. It is easiest to carry out this work at a time when barely fledged chicks fly out of the nest and are located nearby on tree branches and fallen trunks.

In winter, it is possible to distinguish in the snow traces left by the owl. They differ from the traces of other members of this family by a less pronounced X-shape. Due to the strong pubescence of the paws, the prints left by the hawk-owl in the snow are indistinct. When planting, there is also a trace from the tail.

Basic feed

These owls feed mainly on small rodents. Sometimes birds become their prey. First of all, a hawk owl catches mouse-like rodents (lemmings, red voles). Studies conducted by employees of the Kandalaksha Reserve showed that during the snowless period the food of the chicks is 98 percent of these animals. And most of them are voles. Even the remnants of frogs are found in ponds left by birds. In the forests of Finland and Norway, similar studies have also shown that the main part of the ration of hawkish owls is the mouse-like rodent, and the proportion of birds is slightly more than one percent.

And only in the winter time of the year the hawk owl hunts mainly on birds. First of all, they are white grouse, hazel grouse and small representatives of passerines.

Hunting

Not only the appearance, but also the behavior of this owl is very much like a hawk. She hunts mainly in the daytime, less often at dusk. Like many other birds of prey, inhabiting the forests, the owl gathers speed, making frequent sweeps with its wings, and then motionlessly spreads them, moving forward.

It can unexpectedly break from a tall tree and, at great speed for a moment flying at least hundreds of meters, steeply back up. Sometimes, flying near the ground, it flips over the wing and falls with a stone. It happens so swiftly that you can only see how the hawk owl is already sitting with the prey.

The description of how the predator looks out for its prey, is very similar to the habits of a hawk. Hunting in the open landscape, the owl just hangs in the air, peering down. Often it uses lonely standing shrunken trees as an observation point. Looking around the neighborhood for half an hour, flies to another tree.

Nesting

The period of taming at the hawk owl begins in March. In April, she arranges a place for laying eggs or uses old alien nests for this. Usually the owl occupies natural hollows, located, as a rule, in firs or pines, and at very high altitudes - on average 14-15 meters. Often nests on the tops of bastards, settling in rotten cavities. Birds observe the distance between the nests from one to seven kilometers, depending on the density of the grouping.

In April-May the female lays eggs. On average, there are 4-5 eggs in the clutch. In a season rich in mouse rodents, their number can reach up to a dozen. The size of eggs is about 35 to 40 mm. Hawk owl on the nest behaves quite aggressively. As soon as anyone feels nearby, she starts screaming loudly, flying from place to place, and in case of danger, the female and male actively protect the nest by beating their beaks on the enemy's head.

Chicks

Nasizhivanie lasts about a month, and in June babies are born. Their first outfit is a white fluff that gradually turns into a gray plumage plumage. On the dark facial disc there are white eyebrows and the same color elongated round spots under the eyes. Black spots, located around the eyes, merge over the beak.

Expecting the arrival of parents, the nestlings sitting in the nest publish a peculiar hoarse squeak. After 3 weeks they already have almost the same plumage as an adult hawk-owl, whose photo shows well the features of its color. Even poorly able to fly, the chicks sit more on the branches near their nest, making whistling sounds.

When the young owls turn month, they can already fly a distance of 20 to 30 meters. But for a long time, parents continue to patronize their chicks, fearlessly attacking anyone who dares approach them. At the same time, with their anxious cry, which signifies a danger signal, they make the young man die in a posture of a column. Parents give such a cry of courage. The independent life of young owls begins around September.

Very high mortality of chicks. Even with large clutch broods, there are usually no more than three birds. In many areas, already on the verge of extinction is a hawk owl. The Red Book of the Middle Urals, the Moscow Region and some other regions includes this species of owls along with other animals in need of protection.