Yesterday, we were hanging out in Britain looking for the incredibly rare Pool Frog. While I was there, I happened to look up and out of the corner of my eye, I saw this small bird of prey looking at me. As I got a closer look, I realized it was a Tawny Owl so we are going to learn about these majestic birds today. Clearly, these owls are found throughout most of Europe but they can also be spotted hanging out in parts of Asia. Oddly enough, yesterday we talked about the rarest amphibian in the UK but today we are actually learning about their most common bird of prey. Maybe these owls are eating all of the Pool Frogs – I guess you will have to keep reading to find out.
The Tawny Owl is also known as the Brown Owl, which make sense since the upper parts of their feathers are typically brown (but can also be grey). The under parts of those same feathers are usually a nice light beige colour and will have those awesome dark streaks. Compared to other owls, the Tawny Owl is basically right in the middle with regards to their size as their average height is around 40 cm (16 inches). This short stocky look they possess is often used in distinguishing the Tawny Owl from other species such as the Great Grey or the Eagle Owl which look similar but are much larger. Personally, I just like to ask the owl which species they are but to each their own, I guess.
Like most other owls the Brown Owl is also nocturnal and has great night vision and hearing. These features let them easily catch small rodents, reptiles, insects and probably some amphibians as well. This means our poor little Pool Frog could potentially be eaten by the Tawny Owl, but they are definitely not responsible for the demise of Britain’s rarest amphibian. The Tawny Owl will typically consume their prey whole and then simply regurgitate the bones they could not digest. I think this is pretty gross but I bet it is effective. I am going to try this the next time I BBQ up a nice steak.
Wow, it looks like we are at the end of another Wild Fact. I hope you had a hoot reading about the Tawny Owl. See you tomorow for another fun Animal Fact.
