Swamp Owl - description, habitat, interesting facts

Owl for its appearance is called a wise bird, in addition, for its size, it has incredible strength. She has all the habits of a bird of prey and leads a nocturnal lifestyle. This feature of the owl often attracted the attention of people surrounding the bird with mystical characteristics.

In the recent past, owls easily arranged their settlements even within large cities, but with a decrease in the rodent population, birds had to abandon this idea. To date, the population of night hunters is gradually declining.

Very often people become the cause of death of individual owls. Blinded by the headlights, the bird often becomes a victim of vehicles, and when they settle in airport areas, owls often die when they collide with an airplane on the fly. In addition to humans, other predators pose a danger to owls, they suffer from tuberculosis and disappear along with a reduction in their habitat.

A swamp owl is of great benefit, protecting agricultural territories from planting them by rodents. Of great importance is the preservation of the population of this species of night hunters. In a number of countries around the world laws are passed prohibiting harming these birds. In the Russian Federation, a number of regions are included in their Red Book as an endangered species of representatives of the marsh owl.

Distinctive characteristics and habitats

During the winter period, this species of owls flies to more southern regions, where it is easier to feed in winter. To do this, they are grouped into small flocks, comprising from 10 to 15 individuals. If there are no problems with food, then these birds can refuse a seasonal flight, but still spend the winter in a flock inhabiting trees. The flight height of the owl reaches 50 meters.

An eared owl belongs to the genus called eared owls, and their order is called owls. These birds are distinguished by their diverse color. In their outfit, they can use from gray-white to reddish-brown, they have a black beak and eyes are bright yellow.

A marsh owl is a nocturnal bird, it is distinguished by a large head, disproportionately large eyes, which allow the bird to see perfectly. She has excellent hearing and a well-developed sense of smell. Females of this species of birds grow larger than males, their body length can reach 40 centimeters with a wingspan of up to 1 meter. The weight of a marsh owl averages about 400 grams.

Night Hunter Behavior

In the summer, representatives of this species of birds prefer to lead a lonely lifestyle, avoiding their relatives for hunting or recreation. Their distinguishing feature is monogamous manifestations in relationships; the pair created by birds is preserved throughout life.

Owls do not use voice signals unless absolutely necessary.However, if the nest is in danger, the owl is able to make loud noises that frighten off opponents, accompanying them with its far from safe attack. The sounds made by an owl resemble a kind of crackle turning into a howl. In case the owl’s attack did not produce the desired effect, it has the ability to pretend to be wounded, with damage to the wing. Using this technique, the owl tries to distract and lead the attacker, drawing attention to himself with a long squeal.

Of the enemies waiting for an owl on earth, foxes are the most dangerous, although they can be wolves or even skunks. There are many more enemies of these birds in the daytime sky. It can be a swift-winged falcon or an insidious hawk, a wayward eagle or a leisurely kestrel, it can also be a golden eagle. In rare cases, small individuals can be attacked even by ravens. However, the owl is not easy prey and never surrenders without a fight. She is able to inflict serious damage even to an enemy that exceeds her in size. You can never predict in advance the outcome of such fights, from which the owl often comes out victorious.

The female is always engaged in the selection of a place for nesting in birds of this species. To do this, she has to trample a platform that is 50 centimeters across, on which a nest is subsequently built. All kinds of sticks, dry branches, strong stalks of grass and plumage from the organizer's “wardrobe” are used as building materials. In the center of the nest is a certain recess intended for masonry. In the dense grass, often surrounding the nest, the bird expertly paves the tunnel serving as an entrance.

Diet

The main dish in the diet of an owl consists of various rodents, it can be all kinds of rats or mice, earthen moles and careless rabbits, as well as hamsters. In addition, an owl can easily eat reptiles, small birds, river fish and many insects. An owl is such a successful hunter that she manages to control the number of rodents within her hunting grounds.

A swamp owl prefers to hunt at night, although it goes hunting at dusk and continues it until the sun rises above the horizon. The owl dives silently above the surface of the earth, at an altitude of about two meters, looking for prey and using its sense of smell. Taking her target in the "sight", she makes a sharp throw, grabbing the victim with her claws. If the hunt is fruitful, the owl makes preparations for the future, arranging a pantry in the area of ​​the nest.

Mating season

There are times when owls remain for wintering, when they find themselves from a seasonal flight, then they can mate even in winter. The need for flights and the time of mating owl entirely depends on the amount of food within its habitat. Males reach puberty at the age of one year. To attract the female, he makes bizarre sounds resembling a drum roll, and swirls in the air, making dizzying pirouettes. He presents a gift to the female he likes in the form of goodies, and performs his dance only for her. The female flirts quite a long time, but still inferior. The intercourse lasts for 4 seconds.

Video: Swamp Owl (Asio flammeus)