Tawny owl facts for kids

Quick facts for kidsTawny owl
	Strix aluco
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Strigiformes
Family:	Strigidae
Genus:	Strix
Binomial name
	Strix aluco; Linnaeus, 1758

The tawny owl or brown owl (Strix aluco) is a stocky, medium-sized owl commonly found in woodlands across much of Eurasia. There are eleven recognised subspecies, and some variation in the colouring.

The nest is usually in a tree hole where it can protect its eggs and young against potential predators. This owl is resident through the year, and highly territorial. Many young birds starve if they cannot find a vacant territory once parental care ceases.

This nocturnal bird of prey hunts mainly rodents, usually by dropping from a perch to seize its prey, which it swallows whole; in towns its diet includes a higher proportion of birds. Vision and hearing adaptations and silent flight aid its night hunting. The Tawny is capable of catching smaller owls, but is itself vulnerable to the Eagle owl or Northern Goshawk. Red foxes are an important cause of mortality in newly fledged young.

Although many people believe this owl has exceptional night vision, its retina is no more sensitive than a human's. Rather, it is its asymmetrically placed ears that are key to its hunting. They give the Tawny owl excellent directional hearing. Like most owls, it hunts at night. It has a rather strange, but easily imitated, call.

landing

hunting low

A wildlife centre owl gives a flying display. It is tethered to prevent escape.

Images for kids

A rufous morph individual of S. a. sylvatica in England.
A tawny owl awoken during the day.
A tawny owl in the Czech Republic.
A drowsy tawny owl during the day
A composite image of the western subspecies S. a. sylvatica, for identification.
An individual from France perched upon a human hand
Ancient deciduous woodland is a favoured habitat.
A tawny owl in the Teufelsbruch swamp.
Tawny owls are quite nocturnal.
Brown individual, probably of subspecies Strix aluco aluco, in typical deciduous setting emerging from its tree hollow home.
The fairly powerful talons of a tawny owl.
A partially dissected pellet of a tawny owl.
The bank vole is a common prey.
Large prey for tawny owls can extend commonly in some areas to edible dormice.
Urban living tawny owls may come to live extensively especially off of sparrows such as house and Eurasian tree sparrows, both pictured.
Frogs such as common frogs are a common component of the tawny owl's diet.
A captive tawny owl with a large barn owl, usually the tawny owl is behaviourly dominant and slightly larger than the barn owl.
A nestling tawny owl looks out from a nest box.
A nest box set out for tawny owls.
Egg, Collection Museum Wiesbaden, Germany
A tawny owl peers from a tree hollow, which is often what they naturally utilize as nest sites
The young leave the nest before fledging
A tawny owl of around fledgling age in Scotland.
A juvenile owl with bits of down still remnant.
A tawny owl makes use of a steeple as a roost in Berlin.
A grey individual, probably subspecies S. a. aluco