Royal Owl:
It can reach the 1.7 meters of wingspan and the more than four kilos, which makes it the largest nocturnal raptor bird in the entire planet
The owl (Bubo bubo) is one of the best known raptors, thanks to its majesty and abundance, which has made it very popular in the practice of falconry. Its scientific name comes from the Middle Ages and represents the sound that makes this raptor.
This species of owl has a brown and marbled plumage, with different shades of brown, black and white, although the composition depends on the subspecies. It has two tufts of feathers on the sides of the head, in addition to the typical 'ears' that have these charismatic animals, which are more bristly in the males. The eyes are the most striking of this animal, because they are a very intense orange.
Its size and weight varies greatly among the different regions in which the eagle owl lives, but can reach 1.7 meters in span and more than four kilos. This makes it the largest nocturnal raptor on the planet.
Like other nocturnal raptors, its flight is especially silent thanks to the combinations of rigid and flexible feather bands. In addition, his touch is velvety, which allows him to be a very precise hunter.
The eagle owl has especially powerful claws and, like the rest of owls and owls, a much shorter peak than its diurnal congeners. This does not prevent it from being especially strong in order to tear its prey. They are solitary animals, which only come together during the courtship, when they will make nests on trunks or cliffs, where they will lay two to six eggs during the winter. As for his hunting habits, he is considered to be at the top of the food chain, since he does not possess predators, except for the human being.
And it is that the eagle owl not only hunts rodents or rabbits, because it is also capable of capturing fawns or lambs up to 10 kilos. It is even capable of catching other predators, such as foxes, and other raptors, such as the buzzard.
Normally, his hunting techniques focus on the night, protected by his sharp senses and his silent flight, which allows him to fly over open spaces and fall on his prey without his shadow being drawn on the field.
This species can be found in very diverse habitats. He lives in places as diverse as the desert regions of Africa and Asia, or the tundra of northern Europe; There are up to 20 subspecies of different sizes and plumages, although they are all very similar.
In fact, some have recently been separated into other species thanks to DNA analysis, such as the Bengali owl or the Sahara owl, for example.
In addition, it is a very adaptable and undemanding animal; in Spain it tends to live in mountain areas, with abundant rocks and river pits, or in rocky ravines. Its presence in dense forests is less frequent, although its distribution depends on the populations of rabbits.
The truth is that before it was much more abundant, and in the last 60 years has suffered a major setback due to indiscriminate hunting and poisoning, especially in Europe.
