Granddad’s Camera
Tawny owl, as it appears in the game

No.012 · Birds · Uncommon

Tawny owl

Strix aluco

Britain's commonest owl, round-headed with dark eyes. Far more often heard than seen: a quavering hoot and a sharp 'kew-wick' on autumn nights.

When to look

All year, mostly at dusk and night.

Time of day

Best time
Night and dusk; most vocal October–December and early spring. Roosts on branches by day.
Where in the game
Millbrook (churchyard, park, garden and farmland) and the New Forest (ancient woodland, lawn and heath)
Size
Length 37–39 cm
Wingspan
About 99 cm
Weight
About 475 g (BTO adult average)
Lifespan
Average about 4 years; the oldest ringed bird lived over 23 years (Wildlife Trusts, BTO)
Population
About 50,000 pairs in the UK (BTO, 2005 estimate)
Status
Amber (Birds of Conservation Concern 5, 2021)

Diet

Mice, voles, rats, frogs, small birds and earthworms; hunts by ear from a perch.

Habitat

Woodland, parks, churchyards and big gardens; needs old trees with holes.

Breeding

Nests early, in tree holes or boxes; eggs are laid from about late March (earlier in some years), usually 2–3, one brood; owlets leave the nest in May–June and beg loudly ('squeaky-gate' calls) into summer.

Field signs

  • Quavering 'hoo-hoo-hooo' from the male and a sharp 'kew-wick' from the female
  • Pellets (grey, rounded, with fur and bones) under a roost tree
  • Owlets' squeaky begging calls in early summer

Did you know?

  • The famous 'twit-twoo' is really two owls: the female calls 'kew-wick' and the male answers with a hoot.
  • A tawny owl can turn its head about 270 degrees; its eyes are fixed in their sockets.
  • Tawny owls are absent from Ireland and are one of Britain's most sedentary birds.

Moments worth waiting for

  • Kew-wick and hoot October to February, dusk and night
    From two dark trees a female calls 'kew-wick' and a male answers with a long quavering hoot.
  • Owlet on a branch May to July, dusk and night
    A fluffy owlet clambers up a trunk, squeaking like a rusty gate for its parent.

Photo tip

Listen first, then search with binoculars at dusk from the churchyard edge. Use high ISO and open aperture; do not use a torch on the bird.

Be a good naturalist

Never use bird-call playback or a bright light to draw owls out: it stresses them and can break up pairs. Do not touch owlets on the ground (branchers); parents are close by.

The law

All wild birds, their nests and eggs are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; it is an offence to kill, injure or take them or damage an active nest.

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