Eurasian eagle owl

    Bubo bubo

Castilian: Búho real

Catalan: Duc

Gallego: Bufo real

Euskera: Hontza handia

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Strigiformes

Family: Strigidae

Migratory status: Permanent resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

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THREATS

The primary threat to the own is the loss of its main food source, rabbits, as a result of diseases suffered by the latter, such as myxomatosis and viral haemorrhagic fever. The species is also affected by electrical cables, changes in the exploitation of rural land, increases in vehicular traffic, and to a lesser extent, nest plundering and illegal hunting.

Length / size: 57-75 cm / 140-188 cm

Identification: Large bird of prey (it is the largest owl in Spain) that is stout and has powerful talons, a large head with two cephalic crests, and orange eyes. Its plumage is very cryptic and includes brown and tawny colours that are darker on its back and lighter on its belly, with stripes and thin bars. Its throat is whitish.

Song: It makes a low, deep sound, although it is higher in females, that can be heard from a long distance away: "boohoo".

Diet: It is a skilled hunter and, although its primary prey is rabbits, it also captures crows, hedgehogs, aquatic birds, cats, birds of prey, and chicks of other birds of prey in their nests, in this way eliminating its competition.

Reproduction: The mating song can heard beginning in autumn, although it becomes more intense in winter. It chooses hollows or ledges in rocky chasms for nesting, although it can also use piles of stones, hollow tree trunks and the ground itself. The female incubates the eggs; the chicks are born asynchronously, creating a feeding hierarchy. Both sexes care for the chicks, but the females dedicate more time to them.

HABITAT

It occupies areas with abundant rocky places, scree, and rocky ravines, and also areas with scattered forests.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: It is widely distributed throughout the entire peninsula, and is especially abundant in the central and southern regions, and in Levante and Extremadura.

In Castile and León: It breeds in all the provinces, with a significant concentration in Burgos.

Movements and migrations: Northeastern European and Siberian populations can move up to 200 km when the winters are very harsh, but it is a resident species. Juveniles only make dispersive movements over short distances.

POPULATION

In Spain:

In Castile and León: There is an estimated population of 300-400 breeding pairs.