The Eurasian eagle-owl is one of the largest owls in the world. An adult weighs about 3 to 9 pounds. Males weigh less than females: about 3.3 to 6.2 pounds for males and 3.9 to 9.2 pounds for females. When an adult spreads its wings, they measure about 5 to 6 feet from tip to tip. Pages from raptor centers list an adult's length at about 2 to 2.5 feet, or 23 to 29 inches. They do not say which points were measured.
Eagle-owls prefer rocky places such as cliffs and ravines. They live in many places, from conifer forests to warm deserts. Some have been found in city parks and towns. They usually stay in the same area all year.
Eagle-owls hunt from a perch or in flight. They use keen eyesight and hearing to find prey at night. The feathers around the face form a disk that helps direct sound to its ears. Its wings make very little noise, so it can fly quietly. An eagle-owl's call is a deep, resonant hoot that can be heard from far away. The female's call is higher in pitch than the male's.
Eagle-owls eat many kinds of animals, from beetles to fawns. They eat mammals such as voles and rats. An eagle-owl coughs up an owl pellet: a small ball of hair, feathers and bones it could not digest.
Eagle-owls often pair up for life. They do not build a nest. They use ledges, caves, and the old nests of other large birds. The female sits on the eggs for a little over a month, up to about 36 days. Young eagle-owls hatch white and fluffy. They can feed themselves at the nest at about three weeks and can fly by about seven weeks old.
Words to know
- raptor: bird of prey
- pellet: coughed-up ball
- ravines: narrow valleys
- disk: flat circle
The short version
The Eurasian eagle-owl is one of the largest owls in the world. An adult weighs about 3 to 9 pounds, and its wings measure about 5 to 6 feet from tip to tip. It is mostly active at night, finds prey with keen eyesight and hearing, and usually stays in the same area all year.
Quick facts
- An adult Eurasian eagle-owl weighs about 3 to 9 pounds.
- Its wings measure about 5 to 6 feet from tip to tip when spread.
- Eagle-owls prefer rocky places such as cliffs and ravines.
- The female sits on the eggs for a little over a month, up to about 36 days.
- Eagle-owls often pair up for life.
How big is a Eurasian eagle-owl?
An adult Eurasian eagle-owl weighs about 3 to 9 pounds. Males weigh about 3.3 to 6.2 pounds and females about 3.9 to 9.2 pounds. When an adult spreads its wings, they measure about 5 to 6 feet from tip to tip. Raptor center pages list its length at about 2 to 2.5 feet, but they do not say which points were measured.
Where do eagle-owls nest?
Eagle-owls do not build a nest. They use ledges, caves and the old nests of other large birds. They prefer rocky places such as cliffs and ravines, and they usually stay in the same area all year.
