Eurasian Eagle-Owl

Bubo bubo

Owls · Strigiformes · Uncommon

The Eurasian Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo) is a uncommon owl found in 61 countries, weighing about 2.7 kg. The Eurasian eagle-owl is a species of eagle-owl, a type of bird that resides much over Eurasia.

Least ConcernUncommonEats vertebratesrockcavity nest2.7 kg

About the Eurasian Eagle-Owl

The Eurasian eagle-owl is a species of eagle-owl, a type of bird that resides much over Eurasia. It is often just called the eagle-owl in Europe and Asia.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

How to identify it

The Eurasian eagle-owl is among the larger birds of prey, smaller than the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), but larger than the snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus), despite some overlap in size with both of those species. It is sometimes referred to as the world's largest owl, although Blakiston's fish owl (K. blakistoni) is slightly heavier on average and the much lighter weight great grey owl (Strix nebulosa) is slightly longer on average. Heimo Mikkola reported the largest specimens of eagle-owl as having the same upper body mass, 4.

What the Eurasian Eagle-Owl sounds like

Recording: Lionel Triboulin · CC0 · via xeno-canto
Recording: Lionel Triboulin · CC0 · via xeno-canto
Recording: wilmet sebastien · CC0 · via xeno-canto

Where it lives

Recorded as a rare visitor in United States, United Kingdom, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Andorra, Gibraltar, Slovenia, Georgia, Pakistan, Taiwan.

When to see it

The Eurasian Eagle-Owl can be seen all year round, with peak activity in January. It is a resident species across most of its range.

Watch the Eurasian Eagle-Owl on live cams

Browse all 118 bird cams worldwide, live and seasonal, by region and species.

Easily confused with

Quick questions

How do you identify a Eurasian Eagle-Owl?
The Eurasian eagle-owl is among the larger birds of prey, smaller than the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), but larger than the snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus), despite some overlap in size with both of those species. Full identification notes are on this page.
How big is a Eurasian Eagle-Owl?
The Eurasian Eagle-Owl is a huge sized bird weighing about 2.7 kg.
Where can you see a Eurasian Eagle-Owl?
The Eurasian Eagle-Owl occurs in 61 countries, including France, Finland, Spain, Sweden and Germany.
What does a Eurasian Eagle-Owl sound like?
You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Eurasian Eagle-Owl on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
What birds look similar to a Eurasian Eagle-Owl?
The Eurasian Eagle-Owl is most easily confused with the Spotted Eagle-Owl, the Cape Eagle-Owl and the Lesser Horned Owl.
Is the Eurasian Eagle-Owl endangered?
The Eurasian Eagle-Owl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Learn the Eurasian Eagle-Owl for real

BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.

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