Tawny owl in Polissia
Strix aluco
The tawny owl is a medium-sized owl with a round head without feathered “ear tufts” and dark eyes. Its plumage is grey or reddish-brown with a mottled pattern that camouflages the bird well against tree bark.
The tawny owl lives in old broadleaved and mixed forests, parks, old cemeteries and estates with hollow trees. In Polissia it is common in all regions.
The male gives a drawn-out “hoo-oo-oo”, and the female answers with a sharp “ke-wick”. By day the owl sits in a hollow or next to a trunk, and it is often “given away” by small birds that gather round and call loudly in alarm.
Tawny owl chicks leave the hollow early and sit on branches or on the ground. If you find a fluffy owlet, do not take it away: its parents are nearby and keep feeding it.
When to see: all year; most often heard at night in autumn and at the end of winter
Where it was seen in Polissia
Observations from the open scientific database GBIF since 1990.
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