Great Grey Owl

Facts

IUCN LEAST CONCERN (LC)

Facts about this animal

The Great grey owl is a very large owl. It has an average body size of 70 (61-84)cm. Wingspan is about 140 cm and they weigh on average 1. 3 kg (males 535-1100 g, females up to 1900 g). It has a large, round head, a pronounced facial disc with concentric rings and relatively small yellow eyes. Great grey owls lack ear tufts. They have two white throat streaks (like mustaches) and a black chin spot. The Great grey owl has a long tail which extends beyonds the folded wings. The overall body plumage is grey, mottled with varying.

Great grey owls live mostly in dense spruce and pine forests. Their nests, often former buzzard, goshawk or eagle nests located on trees, sometimes also ground nests, are usually close to the edge of the forest but may be encountered also in wetlands or, occasionally, in birch forests. In a rather small area around the owls are territorial but do tolerate other raptors or owls.

A clutch consists on average of 4.2 eggs (range: 1 to 9), which are incubated for 30 days by the female alone, while the male provides his spouse with food. The chicks hatch at intervals of 2-3 days. They leave the nest when about one month old.

The great grey owl feeds mainly on mice, voles and shrews. Occasionally they take frogs or birds up to blue jay size.

Did you know?
that the pronounced facial disc acts like a "radar dish", guiding sounds into the ear openings, and that the great grey owl has the largest facial disc of all owl species?

Factsheet
Class	AVES
Order	STRIGIFORMES
Family	STRIGIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Strix nebulosa
Name (English)	Great Grey Owl
Name (French)	Chouette lapone
Name (German)	Bartkauz
Name (Spanish)	Cárabo lapón
Local names	Estonian: Habekakk Finnish: Lappinpöllö Lithuanian: Laplandiné peléda Norwegian: Lappugle Swedish: Lappuggla
CITES Status	Appendix II
CMS Status	Not listed

Photo Copyright by
BS Thurner Hof

Distribution

Distribution
Range	Eurasia and North America Asia: China; Kazakhstan; Mongolia; Europe:Belarus; Finland; Lithuania; Norway; Russian Federation; Sweden; Ukraine; vagrants into Central Europe and locally extinct in Latvia. North America: Canada; United States
Habitat	Boreal forests.
Wild population	The global population is roughly estimated to be 60.000 individuals (Partners in flight 2008).
Zoo population	224 reported to ISIS (2007)

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

Owls travel best in completely dark boxes. Boxes should be slightly longer than the head to tail length of the bird intended to travel, and wide and high enough for the bird to be able to stand or lie down in comfort without banging its shoulders or head. A well made wooden box with no perches is required, with carpet or some other non slip surface fixed on the floor and a padded ceiling, with air-holes on either side. The easiest type of door to use is an upward sliding door at one end. The door can then be slid up a small amount; the bird visualised before being grasped by the legs, carefully, through the small opening before sliding the door fully open for removal. A handle fixed to the top of the box makes carrying easier.

For air transport, Container Note 20 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.

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Photo Copyright by
Sander van Duuren

Why do zoos keep this animal

The reason for keeping Lapland owls in zoos is primarily educational. These are large and attractive birds, which make attractive exhibits, in particular if associated with capercaillie.

How this animal should be kept

Pinioning or wing clipping is unacceptable for any of the owl species, which use flight as their main method of locomotion, so aviaries with enclosed tops are needed to prevent birds escaping. An aviary of at least 10 m² surface and a height of at least 3 m is required for a pair of Lapland owls. The size should be increase by 5 m² for each additional adult. To ensure the birds have a feeling of security, at least one side (and better still two sides) of the aviary should be of a solid material. This also allows for keepers to approach for husbandry purposes without being seen by the birds. For the other sides, welded mesh appears to be the most suitable material, with a mesh area of 50mm x 50mm, but also nylon netting may be used. Chicken wire is an unsuitable material.

A public safety barrier should be built 1 m away from the enclosure fence to discourage visitors from putting fingers or foreign objects though wire mesh fronts.

Provision of enough high, horizontal or vertical, perches for each bird is essential; owls generally feel more secure on higher perches, especially above ‘people height’. Perches should be positioned so as to make maximum use of aviary space and encourage the birds to exercise. Wooden nest boxes and several areas providing shelter and protection from cold should be provided.

Owls should be fed once a day. The diet consists of freshly killed or freshly (but completely!) thawed rodents, quails and one day old chicks. The owls should have access to clean water for drinking at all times.