(_Bubo ignavus_)
The great horned, or eagle, owl, the largest European representative
of the nocturnal birds-of-prey, is the typical member of a group
characterised by the relatively small size of the apertures of the
ears, which are not closed by covers, and likewise by the more or less
imperfect development of the disc-like ring of feathers round the eye,
which forms such a conspicuous feature in ordinary owls. The so-called
horns are, it need scarcely be mentioned, tufts of long, somewhat
hair-like feathers growing from the neighbourhood of the ears. These
ear-tufts are common to the so-called long-eared owls, which are,
however, all birds of smaller size, with larger ear-openings, protected
by special covers, and complete discs of feathers round the eyes.
The general appearance of this magnificent bird when in an attitude of
repose, the colour and markings of the plumage of the head, breast,
and under-parts, and the great, staring, red-ringed eyes are admirably
shown in the illustration. When, however, the bird is enraged, the
body is depressed and the plumage ruffled out, while the wings are
half-spread, thus increasing its size and producing a formidable
appearance probably sufficient to overawe a number of would-be
assailants other than man. In length this unmistakable bird measures
as much as 27 inches, so that it is equal in point of size to a small
eagle.
The eagle-owl ranges over the greater portion of Europe, as well as
northern Africa, and much, if not the whole, of northern and central
Asia; and the species breeds as far north as Lapland and as far south
as Gibraltar and Greece. It is true that the eagle-owls inhabiting
the country to the east of the Ural Mountains have been regarded as
a distinct species, under the name of _B. sibiricus_, while the name
of _B. turcomanus_ has been proposed for those from the deserts of
south-western Siberia, Turkestan, and Tibet; but these and others from
Asia north of the Himalaya are so closely allied to the European bird
that they are best regarded in the light of local races of that species.
On the other hand, the American eagle-owl (_B. virginianus_) is a
perfectly distinct species, with a range extending over the whole of
North America, although this bird has likewise been split up into a
number of nominal species. Eagle-owls of various species are also
known from tropical South America, the whole of Africa, Arabia, India,
China, and Japan, so that with the exception of the Malay countries and
Australasia, the group has a practically world-wide range.
[Illustration]
To the British Isles the great horned owl--the _grand duc_ of the
French and the _uhu_ of the Germans--is, nowadays at any rate, merely
an occasional straggler, and then only to the northern parts of the
kingdom, most, if not all of the specimens that have from time to time
been taken in England being birds that have escaped from captivity.
There is, however, a report that these splendid owls once inhabited the
Orkneys.
Eagle-owls thrive well and breed freely in captivity; years ago a
number were kept, for instance, at Arundel Castle, but these, although
long regarded as European birds, were eventually proved to belong
to the North American species. Captive specimens have served to
demonstrate in some degree the great age to which these owls will live;
a female brought from Norway in 1827 having survived for seventy-five
years in an English aviary, and having produced during the last thirty
years of her captivity no less than ninety offspring.
From its large size, powerful beak and claws, and fierce disposition,
the eagle-owl, which is mainly nocturnal in its habits, is a terrible
foe to the smaller animals, preying largely upon rats, mice, moles,
birds, and frogs, while it also attacks and devours larger game, such
as roe-deer fawns, hares, rabbits, hazel-hens, ducks, and geese.
Its haunts are thick forests, especially those in which tints of
rufous grey and black prevail; and in such situations the mottled,
warm-coloured tints of its plumage harmonise both with the bark of the
tree-trunks and the weathered surface of the rocks and cliffs. At even,
with noiseless wings, the eagle-owl issues from its perch to sweep over
the plains in search of prey; or, rising high in the air, utters its
loud screech, and awakes the slumbering birds, which flutter from their
roosts to meet their fate by the relentless talons and beak of the
nocturnal marauder.
The huge nest is generally built in trees, on cliffs, or in old
buildings, but the two or three eggs may be laid in holes on the
bare ground. The eggs are brooded by the female, who is fed during
incubation by her partner.