How big is a Eurasian eagle-owl? It is one of the largest owls in the world. An adult weighs about 3 to 9 pounds. Males weigh less than females. Males weigh about 3.3 to 6.2 pounds. Females weigh about 3.9 to 9.2 pounds.
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. When an adult spreads its wings, its wingspan is about 5 to 6 feet from tip to tip.
Eagle-owls live in many places, from forests to warm deserts. They have also been found living in city parks and towns.
Eagle-owls hunt from a perch or in flight. They use keen eyesight and hearing to find prey at night. The feathers around an eagle-owl's face form a disk. The disk helps direct sound to its ears. Its wings make very little noise. So it can fly quietly.
Eagle-owls eat many kinds of animals, from beetles to fawns. They eat mammals such as voles and rats.
An eagle-owl's call is a deep, resonant hoot. It can be heard from far away.
A pair of eagle-owls has one to four eggs at a time. The female sits on the eggs, and the male brings food to the nest. Young eagle-owls hatch white and fluffy.
After they hatch, young eagle-owls can feed themselves at the nest at about three weeks. They can fly by about seven weeks old. In the wild, an eagle-owl can live about 20 years.
Words to know
- raptor: bird of prey
- wingspan: tip to tip
- prey: hunted animals
- resonant: deep and full
