Screech-owl

This bird of prey inhabit mainly northern hemisphere of our planet.The area of ​​its habitat stretches from Latin America to Egypt, India, South China, Pakistan, including all of Western Europe and Asia.

eared owl has a pretty slim body.Females are generally much larger than males.The length of the bird's body about 40 centimeters, and the scope of its wings is more than 100 cm. Long tail owl.When an animal is in a sitting position, its large rounded wings folded at the back, overlapping each other.Owls Head is large, slightly elongated.Black color ears are very large, and skin folds bordering them, strongly developed.However, during the flight of the birds they hardly blame.Eyes animal bright orange with large black pupils.Long-eared Owl has a light brown color with vertical stripes.Under the beak and above the eyebrows, there are small white spots that make the front disc appears lighter body.Belly bird is red or yellow.Coloring females richer and darker than males.Newborn chicks owls are rare light fluff, which is replaced by ten weeks on a soft, loose feathers.

bird found in open woods bordering the fields and meadows, as well as wetlands and taiga.

animal hunts at night on the open plains.However, during the nesting birds can go on the hunt until sunset.Long-eared Owl - active predator.It pursues its prey, focusing on the sounds made by the victim.The owls eat?The basis of their diet are mice voles, ground squirrels and other rodents sorts.They rarely hunt snakes, small birds and insects.

Sova- monogamous bird.In winter, in February, the mating season begins.The male emits certain sounds resembling a song, which he calls the female, and then overflew his lady, showing its beauty.Then he sits down on a branch, where he began to select and dismiss the wings.This is followed by the mating process, which usually lasts no more than three seconds.After mating birds clean each other feathers on the head.

eared owl nests in the trees, settling in the abandoned nests of other birds of prey, or pigeons.In April, before you start laying eggs, the female examines several nests and opted for one of them.Incubation period lasts 28 days, after which it lays from three to ten eggs.At this time the male is engaged in production of food for the female.After 21 days after the birth of the young offspring leaves the nest.The young are not yet able to fly on their own, why spend all the time in the neighboring branches.The first flights of young commits after the 35 days of age.In July, the chicks owls leave the nest permanently and begin to lead an independent life.The period of sexual activity in these animals begins with a single year.

eared owl - a bird silent.Most often, her voice can be heard in early spring - from the forest came the muffled hooting, screaming and whining whistle.Birds can be very aggressive in the defense of the nest.In all other cases it is quite peaceful.Owl can fend for themselves a man at a distance of not less than two meters.In winter, some birds migrate to warmer countries for quite a long distance.However, many of them did not leave the boundaries of their nesting territory.

Eared Owls are useful in agriculture birds.Gathering in large flocks, they are able to destroy a large number of harmful rodents in gardens, currents and threshing floors.Also this bird of prey destroys shrews, moles and all kinds of harmful insects.

That is why long-eared owl in need of protection and preservation of the state.