An Ural Owl sits on a stick at the edge of forest and follow a mouse in the tall grass. The Ural Owl is smaller than the Great Grey Owl, and much larger than the Tawny Owl, which it superficially resembles. Distinguishing features apart from the size are the pale, buffish grey-brown plumage, with copious dark brown streaking on the back, back of the head and underparts. It has a round head with plain buffish-grey facial discs, orange-yellow bill and small black eyes. The tail is long and wedge-shaped, with dark barring on the uppertail, and the wings are rounded.The Ural Owl has an extended distribution area in Europe and Asia, from Sakhalin, Japan and Korea in the east to Scandinavia in the west. The northern border is at approximately 65 degrees north latitude, and the southern border follows the southern delimitation of hi the taiga. There are relict populations in the mountains of central Europe belonging to the subspecies. The northern populations of the Ural Owl occupy similar habitat to the Great Grey Owl, nesting in lowland forests but avoiding dense areas, especially those of purely conifers. In central Europe it is an upland species, preferring deciduous woodland. It usually occupies open woodland and is more often found in moist rather than dry areas. It nests in hollow tree trunks, occasionally in old raptor nests, and increasingly in nestboxes. In Romania the Ural Owl Strix uralensis nest and breeding in the wildest forest of mountain.

圖片編號： 80631432
拍攝者： Silviumatei