It is sometimes referred to as the world’s largest owl, although Blakiston’s fish owl ( B. The Eurasian eagle-owl is a very large bird, smaller than the golden eagle ( Aquila chrysaetos) but larger than the snowy owl ( Bubo scandiacus), despite some overlap in size with both species. Note the orange eyes and vertical stripes on the chest. Tame eagle-owls have occasionally been used in pest control because of their size to deter large birds such as gulls from nesting. The vast majority of eagle-owls live in mainland Europe, Russia and Central Asia, and an estimated number of between 12 and 40 pairs are thought to reside in the United Kingdom as of 2016, a number which may be on the rise. With a total range in Europe and Asia of about 32 million square kilometres (12 million square miles) and a total population estimated to be between 250 thousand and 2.5 million, the IUCN lists the bird’s conservation status as being of “ least concern“. There are at least a dozen subspecies of Eurasian eagle-owl. Continuing parental care for the young is provided by both adults for about five months. The female incubates the eggs and broods the young, and the male provides food for her and, when they hatch, for the nestlings as well. The nest is a scrape in which averages of two eggs are laid at intervals. It typically breeds on cliff ledges, in gullies, among rocks or in other concealed locations. It is a mostly nocturnal predator, hunting for a range of different prey species, predominantly small mammals but also birds of varying sizes, reptiles, amphibians, fish, large insects and other assorted invertebrates. The Eurasian eagle-owl is found in many habitats but is mostly a bird of mountain regions, coniferous forests, steppes and other relatively remote places. The Eurasian eagle-owl is one of the largest living species of owl as well as one of the most widely distributed. The facial disc is not very visible and the orange eyes are distinctive. The underparts are a variably hued buff, streaked with darker colour. This bird has distinctive ear tufts, with upper parts that are mottled with darker blackish colouring and tawny. It is one of the largest species of owl, and females can grow to a total length of 75 cm (30 in), with a wingspan of 188 cm (6 ft 2 in), males being slightly smaller. It is also called the European eagle-owl and in Europe, it is occasionally abbreviated to just eagle-owl. The Eurasian eagle-owl ( Bubo bubo) is a species of eagle-owl that resides in much of Eurosiberia.
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