Long-tailed Owl: description, content, feeding owls

Owl Long-tail is also called the Urals. Initially, this species was discovered precisely in the Urals, so this name was fixed. However, scientists disagree about the meaning of the word "owl". On the one hand, it is interpreted as "insatiable creature", since owls are really voracious. And on the other - in the time of the birth of Christianity there were bans on certain types of food, including the oath and the owl. Hunting for her was forbidden.

Long-tailed Owl: description

It should be noted that the owl is one of the largest representatives of its kind. She does not have feathers on her ears, unlike other owls. In addition, the long-tailed owl has black eyes, light-colored plumage and larger sizes than other species. This bird can be found all over Russia, it is quite common. Hunt she prefers at night, but it can be seen even before sunset.

Long-tailed owl is a fairly large bird. It can reach seventy centimeters in height. A sweep of its wings is one and a half meters. One wing reaches up to forty centimeters. And the tail, because of which it got its name, grows to thirty centimeters. It is he who is the hallmark of this species. Plumage of the owl is light gray in color. On the back usually there are yellow inclusions. The wings of the bird are yellowish white, but darker than the body tone. The abdomen is very light, sometimes even white. And in the owl, as with other owls, there are eyebrows made of feathers above the eyes. The paw's feet are almost completely covered with feathers.

The females and males are practically not different. In rare cases, it happens that the "boy" is smaller. The main pride of the owl is its long tail. Usually it is slightly darker and covered with a pattern. The bird's eyes are almost black, and the beak is yellow. On the paws are powerful claws. In the flight it seems that this is a large predator, although in reality an owl weighs from 600 grams to one and a half kilograms. In young animals the plumage is slightly lighter than in older individuals. Even on the head of the bird are the so-called glasses, which are gray circles near the eyes.

Habitats of the Owl

Long-tailed owl is a protected species, although quite common. It can be found in Lapland, the European part of Russia, Bashkiria and the Volga. And in Siberia it is widespread enough. It can be seen in Altai, Sayans, Trans-Baikal territory, Ussuriysk region, Amur and on the island of Sakhalin. The owl is extremely rare in the east (in China and Japan). Outside of Russia, this bird lives in Northern Europe, the Baltic and Scandinavia. But in Central Europe it is almost never met.

Long-tailed owl predominates in forests. The most convenient place for it is mixed moist forests. However, the oath will not fly into the thick thicket. She prefers places near large glades or felling. In winter, when she does not have enough food, she can roam in search of a better place.

What does an owl eat?

Long-tailed owl in its nature is a bird of prey. And this means that the basis of her diet is animal food. Basically it's rodents: mouse-voles. However, the owl can hunt for smaller prey, such as shrews, insects, frogs, small birds. There are cases when she chooses a large victim: squirrel, hare, black grouse, hazel grouse. As a rule, an owl arranges ambushes. She can watch her "dinner" for hours. As the owl attacks on larger prey, researchers are still unknown. The bird looks out for its victim from the height of the tree. Strangely enough, but she has excellent vision. Owl hunting is very helpful in hunting. She may not see the victim - she just needs to hear it.

Reproduction of Owl

The researchers did not exactly determine the terms of the mating season of the owl. Most likely, they depend on climatic conditions. Naturally, in the southern regions, the owl lays earlier masonry than in the northern. The mating season for a bird begins with the choice of a place for the nest. As a rule, she settles in hollows. Can settle in a strange nest. Or build it on a tree. Lays long-tailed owl eggs directly in the nest or hollow. Typically, the masonry consists of two or four pieces.

As soon as the owl lays one egg, it begins to incubate it and does not leave it. She will never give up her offspring. The bird hatchs eggs a little less than a month. During this period, she does not fly anywhere and the male becomes a food-earner. Having appeared in the world, not all chicks survive. Up to the adult state, a few chicks usually grow up.

After giving birth for a whole month, the kids are silent and do not go anywhere. At this time the whole family feeds the male. He brings food to the female, and she divides it between her offspring. This period lasts about eight weeks, until the young grow up.

Can I keep the owl at home?

It has now become very fashionable to house exotic animals or birds. So you can meet an owl in the apartment. But will survive long-tailed owl at home? As a rule, people acquire owls in the fur market. It's hard to pass by such a fluffy creature with big eyes. The owl is a very smart bird and tame well. She can easily learn to sit in your arms. They especially like it when they are stroked on the head.

However, when planting such a bird, think: can you provide it with worthy maintenance? Long-tailed owl is a predatory species, which means that it needs to eat meat. But do not think that you will be able to feed your pet with pork or chicken. Let's remember that the long-tailed owl eats in nature. What she eats at will, so you have to feed her and at home. So, every day you will need to give the bird mice. And this is not just a whim.

It's simple: the owl's digestive system is designed in such a way that it needs to eat up the whole rodent, together with the skin and bones. Think about whether you can provide the right diet every day to the bird. In addition, it should be borne in mind that the owl is a night bird. Therefore, its main activity is in the evening, night and early morning. It is at this time in natural conditions that the predator hunts. At home, the same will happen. From evening until morning, the owl will swarm and something rumbling, and in the daytime - rest.

What conditions are necessary for the content?

If you are not afraid of night wakefulness and a specific diet, and the desire to start a pet does not disappear, you need to think about where you will keep it. Still, the owl has a decent size. And for an ordinary apartment it is too big, because it will need a place for flights. Remember that the oath can not be kept in a cage. She will certainly summarize her feathers or injure a wax.

How to prepare a dwelling for the owl?

When preparing a room for an owl from it, you first need to remove all unnecessary items, especially valuable for you. Do not forget: the bird has a powerful beak and claws, and therefore it can tear anything, stain it, knock it over. In addition, birds love to play, so you can not leave things unattended, you can miss something. Do not hang tulles on windows. It needs to be replaced by thick curtains. In the tulle, the owl is easily entangled and will break not only its wings, but also its feet. Mirror also makes sense to remove, otherwise it will fight against it and cripple.

On the walls is to nail the wooden sticks with a soft coating. It will mimic the branches of trees. Still owls like to swim, and therefore it is worthwhile in advance to think out a place for a bath. It is possible to put in a convenient place a wide container with water, only it should be shallow.

Food for predatory owl

Earlier we already stressed that the long-tailed owl is a bird of prey. Because you will have to buy rodents forage. Carcasses of living creatures must be just killed. An indispensable condition for food is fresh food, since frozen food loses a number of trace elements that are extremely necessary for poultry.

Rodents can be purchased at the store, but this is not cheap, and often there is a problem with the lack of the necessary number of livestock. After all, the owl will need at least two animals per day. Therefore, rodents can be bought in the poultry market in bulk. They often sell quails and day-old chickens. They are good for feeding an owl. Mice and chickens can be given without any preparation, but quails need to be gutted and cut off the paws and head. This is due to the fact that these birds often have diseases that are dangerous for owls.

If you are not afraid of the peculiarities of keeping the owl, then safely go to the kennel for the bird. Be sure to follow all the owl documents in order to avoid problems in the future. We do not recommend buying oats in the market. It is better to do it in the nursery. There the birds are healthy and more tame. In addition, after buying it is better to visit a veterinarian. We wish you good luck in choosing a feathered friend.