Eagle owl

LIVING HABITS

Wide conifer forests have traditionally been considered the most typical habitat for the eagle owl, but they are also found both in agricultural environments and archipelagos. Some eagle owls have even settled in cities. Eagle owls are not too fussy about their food. They eat both small and middle-size birds (fowls and crows) and mammals (rabbits, small rodents, rats). The eagle owl often nests on the ground on a ledge. Eagle owls usually hunt during dawn and dusk. Eagle owls can be found throughout Finland, except the northernmost parts of Lapland. Eagle owls are more common in the southern and western parts of Finland, getting ever rarer the further up North you go.

PROTECTION

The eagle owl is a protected species in Finland.

ADAPTING TO WINTER

The eagle owl is a non-migratory bird, and very active during the winter. The plumage of the eagle owl is thicker in the winter, isolating the bird well against the cold. In the autumn eagle owls store subcutaneous fat for reserve nutrition as well as for additional isolation against the cold.