Picture of the Week 5 – Scare and Intimidate

Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) – Deutsch: Uhu

[View all Pictures of the Week 2012]

One of my favorite birds at Nashville Zoo is this Eurasian Eagle Owl.

His name is Archimedes. He is one of the education animals at the zoo and he appears regularly on stage as part of the education animal shows and in the zoo’s outreach programs.

In this picture Archimedes showed his full beauty in a defensive posture as he sighted a young Lynx cub near by.

For more owl images go to http://www.sperka.biz/eeowl.

About Eurasian Eagle Owls

The Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) is a very large and powerful bird. It is often referred to as the world’s largest owl, although Blakiston’s Fish Owl is slightly heavier on average and the Great Grey Owl is slightly longer on average.

The Eagle Owl has a wingspan of 138–200 cm (55–79 in) and measures 58–75 cm (23–30 in) in heights. Females weigh 1.75-4.5 kg (3.9-10 lbs) and males weigh 1.5-3.2 kg (3.3-7 lbs). In comparison, the Great Horned Owl, roughly the Eagle Owl’s ecological equivalent in North America, weighs around 1.4 kg (3.1 lbs). The great size, ear tufts and orange eyes make this a distinctive species.

Eagle Owls are distributed sparsely through a wide range of habitats. They have been found in habitats as diverse as Northern coniferous forests to the edge of vast deserts. Rocky areas seem to be favored, with cliffs and mountains abutting woodland usually containing the largest numbers of these owls.