The Beautiful Uhu

From Owl and Raptor Center Haringsee

Do you know the largest native (German) owl species? It's the beautiful eagle owl. The eagle owl has a pair of striking, long, feathered ears, large orange-red eyes, and a characteristically thick head.

Eagle owls prefer richly structured, diverse landscapes where they can find good hunting grounds, suitable breeding sites, and daytime hides. They particularly like to fly to bodies of water to hunt, and they prefer covered areas on rock faces to breed, but can also feed their young in sand and clay pits, on the forest floor, or in tree nests.

The eagle owl's menu is very varied: from shrews to foxes, from sparrows to female hawks and grey herons, it will also eat fish, large beetles, grasshoppers, earthworms, and snails. Especially in winter, it will also feast on carrion and meat scraps. It also builds up a reserve layer of blubber in the fall, which allows it to survive very long periods of hunger.