Bird Guide

Tawny Owl vs Ural Owl

Tawny Owl (Strix aluco)

Tawny Owl

Strix aluco

Large472 gForest

The tawny owl is a robust bird, 37–46 cm (15–18 in) in length, with an 81–105 cm (32–41 in) wingspan. Weight can range from 385 to 800 g (0.849 to 1.764 lb). Its large rounded head lacks ear tufts, and the facial disc surrounding the dark brown eyes is usually rather plain. The nominate race has two morphs which differ in their plumage colour, one form having rufous brown upperparts and the other greyish brown, although intermediates also occur. The underparts of both morphs are whitish and streaked with brown. Feathers are moulted gradually between June and December.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Tawny Owl
Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Call · Arrondissement of Avranches (near Saint-Jean-de-la-Haize), Manche, Normandie, France · CC0
Photo: (c) caroline legg, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Ural Owl (Strix uralensis)

Ural Owl

Strix uralensis

Large781 gForest

Like most Strix species, it has a broad, rounded head with a correspondingly round facial disc, barring a tiny V-shaped indentation. The Ural owl has, for an owl, an exceptionally long tail that bears a wedge-shaped tip. In colour, it tends to be a plain pale greyish-brown to whitish overall (with more detailed description of their variation under subspecies), with a slightly darker grey-brown to brown back and mantle with contrasting whitish markings.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Ural Owl
Recorded by Grégoire Chauvot · Duet, song · Leksand, Leksand Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden · CC0
Photo: Yana Dombrovskaya · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

Learn this pair in the BeakBrain App

Photo and call practice. Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Play today's Daily Bird

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Tawny Owl and Ural Owl.