Tawny Owl

Seen one? Add it to your free UK BirdedexHear its song and see the mapFree, no app download. Uncommon bird: +3 points when you log it.

Tawny Owl in the UK

A common resident and our most widespread owl, with about 50,000 breeding pairs. It is found across England, Wales and mainland Scotland but is absent from Ireland and from most offshore islands. Pairs hold the same territory all year and young birds settle only a few kilometres from where they hatched. Numbers have drifted down since the early 1970s, a shallow decline with no single proven cause, and the species has moved from the Green to the Amber list.

Where and when to see a Tawny Owl

Mature broadleaved woodland, parkland, churchyards and large gardens with old trees, including city parks. Listen before you look. Calling peaks from October to December, when young birds seek territories, and again in late winter. Go out at dusk on a still, dry night. By day, a noisy mob of Blackbirds, Jays and tits scolding at an ivy-covered trunk often marks a roosting bird. Any country park with big old trees is worth a try.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Mature woodland.
Diet: Small mammals.
Field note: Classic "twit-twoo" (duet).

How to identify a Tawny Owl

About the size of a Woodpigeon, with a large round head, no ear tufts and black eyes. Plumage is mottled rufous-brown, greyer in some birds, with a line of pale spots along each shoulder and streaked underparts. The wings are broad and rounded and flight is silent and direct. It is strictly nocturnal, so most views are a shape on a branch at dusk or in headlights. Females are larger than males. Downy young leave the nest before they can fly and sit on nearby branches in spring. Leave them alone: the parents are close.

Call and song

The male's song is a long, wavering hoot: 'hooo', a pause, then 'hu, hu-hu-hooo'. Both sexes give a sharp 'ke-wick'. The 'twit-twoo' of story books is usually two birds, a 'ke-wick' answered by a hoot. Heard something you cannot place? Bird Hear identifies UK birds from a 10 second recording, free in your browser.

Confusion species

• Barn Owl: Barn Owl is pale gold above and white below with a heart-shaped face, and hunts over open grassland.
• Long-eared Owl: Long-eared Owl is slimmer with orange eyes and long ear tufts, and its song is a low, single 'hoo'.
• Short-eared Owl: Short-eared Owl hunts open moor and marsh in daylight, has yellow eyes and long wings with dark tips.

Related guide UK raptors and owls.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the Tawny Owl is an Uncommon tier bird, worth +3 points when you log one. It is Amber-listed in Birds of Conservation Concern 5, the middle level of concern in the UK.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• HawfinchUncommon · Mature woodland (rare)
• Marsh TitUncommon · Mature deciduous woodland
• Spotted FlycatcherUncommon · Mature gardens
• Wood WarblerUncommon · Mature oak/beech woodland (summer)
• Eurasian Golden OrioleRare · Mature broadleaf woodland
• European Honey BuzzardRare · Mature woodland (summer)

Tawny Owl: quick answers

Where can I see a Tawny Owl in the UK?

Almost any wood, park or large wooded garden in England, Wales or mainland Scotland holds a pair. Seeing one is harder than hearing one. Learn your local birds' calling posts in autumn, then watch those trees at dusk.

What does a Tawny Owl eat?

Mainly small mammals such as Wood Mice and Bank Voles, caught by dropping from a perch. It also takes small birds, frogs, beetles and earthworms, and town birds eat a higher share of birds. Prey is swallowed whole and the fur and bones are coughed up as pellets.

When is the best time to see Tawny Owl?

Autumn evenings, from about half an hour after sunset. Territories are being settled, so birds call often and respond to each other. A typical bird lives around four years, though one ringed bird reached 23, so the same pair can hold a wood for a long time.

Kit that helps

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