The Five Owls of the UK.
27th March 2020
There are five owls that inhabit the UK, they have differing life patterns, some are almost totally nocturnal, some are crepuscular in nature and one can often be seen in broad daylight. The nocturnal owls are obviously more difficult to see and indeed to photograph and they are usually only seen at their roost. The best evidence that owls are present at any location is an accumulation of owl pellets that have been regurgitated to the ground beneath a tree or building.
Owls are much loved by most people, this is probably because they have an almost human-like appearance; in other words they have a face, sometimes looking like a wise old man. However, in some cultures, particularly in third world countries they are seen as harbingers of bad luck or even death and are persecuted accordingly. Speaking personally, I am a big fan of owls, there is just something about them that fascinates me.
Let’s start with the smallest:
Little Owl
This small owl doesn’t look like it could do much damage but if you look closer it has quite a fierce appearance which fits quite well with its character.
This little bird is a fierce hunter and small bird and rodent numbers near to Little Owl populations are much reduced. They will sit out on prominent perches in broad daylight and if you know where they are living – an old ivy covered tree or old building then it’s not too difficult to see them, it’s just a matter of waiting because they can be quite active.
To exemplify their ferocity; Susan and I were driving along a remote track in Cyprus many years ago and we could see a commotion about twenty yards ahead. We stopped to investigate and we could see a fight between a Little Owl and a Blunt Nosed Viper – the deadliest snake in Cyprus. This snake is much feared by Cypriots because its bite can be fatal. However, it held no fear for the Little Owl and after as little as a minute the snake was quickly dispatched and carried away, no doubt to be torn apart and eaten at leisure.
Tawny Owl
Without doubt the most iconic sound any of our owls make – the characteristic background noise of many a good ghost story or horror film. These birds are very nocturnal and are usually seen only near their roosts during daylight hours.
These owls are quite aggressive and can bully other owls in territorial disputes. They are probably the most tied to human habitation and can regularly be heard just after dark in towns and villages. They are lazy hunters and don’t fly great distances to catch their prey. If there is a Tawny Owl present in a wood then there is usually a cacophony of noise from the resident small birds as they try to mob it. This mobbing can be useful for a bird watcher to locate them in a wood. Owlets can also be seen sometimes perching near the nest site as they learn to fly short distances.
I find these owls very attractive with their rufous plumage.
I love to hear their calls around our house in the nights.
Barn Owl
Probably peoples favourite owl, with their heart shaped face and from a distance a white plumage.
These owls suddenly appear, typically on a winter’s afternoon, about an hour before dusk. They fly like an apparition over rough meadows and farm land quartering back and fore in search of prey.
Like all owls they have acute hearing and totally silent flight and these combinations rather than eyesight are used to locate prey. I remember waiting in my portable bird hide one afternoon hoping to see a bird that was regularly hunting a particular area and landing on a favourite perch.
I was just sitting there when this large white shape passed within three feet of me in total silence. I didn’t really expect it to make any noise but to experience that totally silent flight was very memorable. The Barn Owls biggest enemy is wet weather which prevents them from flying because their wings don’t repel water and subsequently become waterlogged.
Short Eared Owl
Essentially a bird of upland moors in spring and summer and coastal marshes in winter. Migrant birds come to the UK in late autumn to spend the winter in the UK and these migrants can swell the numbers of UK Short Eared Owls. If there has been a good vole breeding year where the migrant owls have bred then it’s called a ‘Good Owl Year’ because populations of these owls are linked with good and bad vole years. In good years it’s possible to see double figures of these owls hunting the same coastal marsh.
These owls are the most likely to be confused with Long Eared Owls, but time of day should rule out Long Eared which are very nocturnal. However, I have seen Long Eared Owls out, albeit very infrequently, in daytime. Long Eared don’t always show their ear tufts and can look like a Short Eared at distance. If better views are obtained there are a few marked differences; in flight the Short Eared Owl has long wings with white trailing edges and black tips. They have an abrupt demarcation between a dark head and pale belly, this is very noticeable! They also have very conspicuous piercing yellow eyes surrounded with black shadowing.
Back in the day sea watching on the North Norfolk coast in October we would see migrant Short Eared Owls coming in off the sea – it was always the highlight of the day.
Long Eared Owl.
Without doubt the most difficult Owl of the five to see. They are very nocturnal and can usually only be seen during daylight in their winter roosts. These owls roost communally in winter where a few birds share the same tree or thicket and these roosts can be used for many years. However, even at roost they can still be difficult to locate. Their plumage is very cryptic and they can camouflage very well in a dense thicket or against the trunk of a tree always having a few branches in front of them for cover.
Their call is a deep single hoot which is very far reaching.
The young bird’s call is like a squeaky gate opening.
They like mature woodland adjacent to open country in which they will typically use an old crow’s nest or similar to breed. If seen in flight, (which is unlikely), they are not quite as long winged as a Short Eared Owl. There is no white trailing edge to the wings which also have fine black barring near the wing tips, wings also have a large yellow/buff patch on the base of the outer primaries which accentuates a dark carpal patch. Close views, (unlikely), will show deep orange eyes and vertical black and white lines to the face. These owls can also be seen in October, although rare these days, coming in off the sea, in typically North Norfolk. I remember back in the halcyon days in Norfolk a report of a bird flying in off the sea exhausted and landing on the wing mirror of a parked car to rest before flying off into cover.
It’s not hard to see why Owls are regarded so fondly - their elusive nature and the perceived mystery that surrounds them endears these birds to many people and I am one of the many.
Owls are much loved by most people, this is probably because they have an almost human-like appearance; in other words they have a face, sometimes looking like a wise old man. However, in some cultures, particularly in third world countries they are seen as harbingers of bad luck or even death and are persecuted accordingly. Speaking personally, I am a big fan of owls, there is just something about them that fascinates me.
Let’s start with the smallest:
Little Owl
This small owl doesn’t look like it could do much damage but if you look closer it has quite a fierce appearance which fits quite well with its character.
This little bird is a fierce hunter and small bird and rodent numbers near to Little Owl populations are much reduced. They will sit out on prominent perches in broad daylight and if you know where they are living – an old ivy covered tree or old building then it’s not too difficult to see them, it’s just a matter of waiting because they can be quite active.
To exemplify their ferocity; Susan and I were driving along a remote track in Cyprus many years ago and we could see a commotion about twenty yards ahead. We stopped to investigate and we could see a fight between a Little Owl and a Blunt Nosed Viper – the deadliest snake in Cyprus. This snake is much feared by Cypriots because its bite can be fatal. However, it held no fear for the Little Owl and after as little as a minute the snake was quickly dispatched and carried away, no doubt to be torn apart and eaten at leisure.
Tawny Owl
Without doubt the most iconic sound any of our owls make – the characteristic background noise of many a good ghost story or horror film. These birds are very nocturnal and are usually seen only near their roosts during daylight hours.
These owls are quite aggressive and can bully other owls in territorial disputes. They are probably the most tied to human habitation and can regularly be heard just after dark in towns and villages. They are lazy hunters and don’t fly great distances to catch their prey. If there is a Tawny Owl present in a wood then there is usually a cacophony of noise from the resident small birds as they try to mob it. This mobbing can be useful for a bird watcher to locate them in a wood. Owlets can also be seen sometimes perching near the nest site as they learn to fly short distances.
I find these owls very attractive with their rufous plumage.
I love to hear their calls around our house in the nights.
Barn Owl
Probably peoples favourite owl, with their heart shaped face and from a distance a white plumage.
These owls suddenly appear, typically on a winter’s afternoon, about an hour before dusk. They fly like an apparition over rough meadows and farm land quartering back and fore in search of prey.
Like all owls they have acute hearing and totally silent flight and these combinations rather than eyesight are used to locate prey. I remember waiting in my portable bird hide one afternoon hoping to see a bird that was regularly hunting a particular area and landing on a favourite perch.
I was just sitting there when this large white shape passed within three feet of me in total silence. I didn’t really expect it to make any noise but to experience that totally silent flight was very memorable. The Barn Owls biggest enemy is wet weather which prevents them from flying because their wings don’t repel water and subsequently become waterlogged.
Short Eared Owl
Essentially a bird of upland moors in spring and summer and coastal marshes in winter. Migrant birds come to the UK in late autumn to spend the winter in the UK and these migrants can swell the numbers of UK Short Eared Owls. If there has been a good vole breeding year where the migrant owls have bred then it’s called a ‘Good Owl Year’ because populations of these owls are linked with good and bad vole years. In good years it’s possible to see double figures of these owls hunting the same coastal marsh.
These owls are the most likely to be confused with Long Eared Owls, but time of day should rule out Long Eared which are very nocturnal. However, I have seen Long Eared Owls out, albeit very infrequently, in daytime. Long Eared don’t always show their ear tufts and can look like a Short Eared at distance. If better views are obtained there are a few marked differences; in flight the Short Eared Owl has long wings with white trailing edges and black tips. They have an abrupt demarcation between a dark head and pale belly, this is very noticeable! They also have very conspicuous piercing yellow eyes surrounded with black shadowing.
Back in the day sea watching on the North Norfolk coast in October we would see migrant Short Eared Owls coming in off the sea – it was always the highlight of the day.
Long Eared Owl.
Without doubt the most difficult Owl of the five to see. They are very nocturnal and can usually only be seen during daylight in their winter roosts. These owls roost communally in winter where a few birds share the same tree or thicket and these roosts can be used for many years. However, even at roost they can still be difficult to locate. Their plumage is very cryptic and they can camouflage very well in a dense thicket or against the trunk of a tree always having a few branches in front of them for cover.
Their call is a deep single hoot which is very far reaching.
The young bird’s call is like a squeaky gate opening.
They like mature woodland adjacent to open country in which they will typically use an old crow’s nest or similar to breed. If seen in flight, (which is unlikely), they are not quite as long winged as a Short Eared Owl. There is no white trailing edge to the wings which also have fine black barring near the wing tips, wings also have a large yellow/buff patch on the base of the outer primaries which accentuates a dark carpal patch. Close views, (unlikely), will show deep orange eyes and vertical black and white lines to the face. These owls can also be seen in October, although rare these days, coming in off the sea, in typically North Norfolk. I remember back in the halcyon days in Norfolk a report of a bird flying in off the sea exhausted and landing on the wing mirror of a parked car to rest before flying off into cover.
It’s not hard to see why Owls are regarded so fondly - their elusive nature and the perceived mystery that surrounds them endears these birds to many people and I am one of the many.