[4] A small number of straggling young Ural owls may occur irregularly down in southeastern Europe outside of the typical range of the species. As much as nearly 25% of their biomass may be hares and hares are the largest known prey to be taken by Ural owls. [115] Much further east in the Pacific coastal Primorsky Krai, 1163 total prey items were examined. [106] In Slovenia, about 80% of breeding attempts manage to produce at least one fledgling. [196] Brooding activity peaks, with typically 9-14 daily visits, in Finnish studies in the late evening during spring and summer while tending to young, with a weaker peak activity time in the early morning, both timed to peak prey activity times. [4][29] The great grey owl is larger than the Ural owl with a huge head and relatively even smaller yellow eyes while their facial disc has strong concentric lines. [125], The second most important prey group behind mammals (albeit considerably behind) is birds. [91] Surplus food may be stored at the nest or at nearby depots. [1][3][88] The dietary habits of the two species are largely concurrent, as in Uppland, Sweden, where prey species and groups were almost identical in rank of importance to their diets (i.e. It is quite possible that is to some extent a still-hunter, perching for some time on a prominent tree until prey becomes apparent into the vicinity. [4][58][62] In eastern Europe, the species is found in eastern Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, western Serbia, montane west-central Bulgaria, montane central Romania, much of Slovakia, southwestern Ukraine, southern and eastern Lithuania, northern Belarus, eastern Latvia and much of Estonia. [4][18] Due to its partially diurnal behaviour during warmer months, some authors consider it confusable with the very different looking (but similarly largish and long-tailed) northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis). Meanwhile, the tarsi and toes are covered in greyish feathering and the talons are yellowish brown with darker tips. Tarsi and toes are thickly feathered pale greyish-brown to dirty whitish-cream, and the claws are yellowish-brown with darker tips. Scherzinger, W., Fang, Y., Sun, Y. H., & Klaus, S. (2014). According to the IUCN Red List the total Ural owl population size is approximately 396,000-1,140,000 mature individuals. Pietiäinen, H., Saurola, P., & Väisänen, R. A. [3][4][77][78] The wide range of activity times, and partial adaption to daytime activity, is further indicated by the relatively small eyes that the species possesses. [7][11][65], Apart from the aforementioned species, most other owl species that the Ural owl encounters in its range are significantly smaller. [3][7][29] There is little evidence that in most of the range that Ural owls invest much time into pursuing or feeding on insects and other invertebrates, since the food reward is low for a fairly large owl to habitually hunt such prey, which may weigh only about 0.2 g (0.0071 oz). [83][110][111][112], Further east and out of Europe, the general reliance on small rodents for Ural owls is fairly consistent. [3][28][50] Recent study has indicated that the Père David's owl is valid species based on appearance, voice, and life history differences, though genetic studies have shown a somewhat muddled diversity between races of the Ural owls species complex. (2002). Body masses reported for some of the more southerly Asian species such as brown wood owl (Strix leptogrammica) and spotted wood owl (Strix selopato) (as well as the similarly sized but unweighed mottled wood owl (Strix ocellata)) show that they broadly overlap in body mass with the Ural owl or are even somewhat heavier typically despite being somewhat smaller in length. Matsyna, A. I., Matsyna, E. L., Matsyna, A. [1][31] In the eponymous Ural region, it is found from roughly Komi south to Kamensk-Uralsky. [3][6][100][84][114][127] Other than pigeons and doves, non-passerine bird prey are usually taken relatively infrequently, although some prey families such as gamebirds and woodpeckers are also quite widely taken. Matysek, M., Figarski, T., Wieczorek, P., Wyka, J., & Kajtoch, L. (2015). [3][4] A highly unusual nest site in terms of regional habitat was recorded in Slovakia, in the Východoslovenská Plains, a lowland floodplain, within an old buzzard nest. [3][7][14] Bird prey may occasionally range down to the size of the 5.2 g (0.18 oz) goldcrest (Regulus regulus), which is Europe’s smallest bird species. [164] Survey of the species in Silesian Beskids was done, where the population may represent a recent population expansion. [79] The eagle-owls are likely avoided when possible by the Ural. Hakkarainen, H., Korpimäki, E., Koivunen, V., & Kurki S. (1997). When experimentally exposed to patches where prey was present and patches where prey was not present, Ural owls would forage in both but would seem to learn which patches were more likely to have food and subsequently forage more extensively around them. After retreat of the continental ice masses, the ranges more recently penetrated each other. In western and European Russia, it is found as far south roughly as the Bryansk, Moscow and northern Samara north continuously to Kaliningrad, the southern part of the Kola Peninsula and Arkhangelsk. The highest Slovenian densities were around 2-3 pairs per 10 km2 (3.9 sq mi) for Mount Krim and around 4-5 pairs per 10 km2 (3.9 sq mi) for Snežnik. Burgas, D., Byholm, P., & Parkkima, T. (2014). In bad vole years in Finland, of 860 prey items, 32.2% by number and 40.25% by biomass were birds. [163][164] In Slovakia, beech dominated forest were selected about 74% of the time. [109] However, in the diet study within in the city of Košice, Slovakia, urban-adapted Ural owls were found to be relying almost solely on pigeons and doves for foods, namely the Eurasian collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto) and the rock pigeon (Columba livia) which constituted 76.7% and 13.4% of the contents of 16 pellets, respectively. , Sakhalin I., ne China and Korea), Buffon et l'Histoire naturelle des oiseaux, Vol. [4] Reportedly talon size and body mass is the best way to distinguish the two sexes of Ural owl other than behavioral dichotomy based on observations in Finland. [18] Among standard measurements, in both sexes, wing chord can measure from 267 to 400 mm (10.5 to 15.7 in) across the range and tail length can from 201 to 320 mm (7.9 to 12.6 in). [1][140] The erection of nest boxes has caused population increases in several parts of the range, especially Finland. [3][79], The Ural owl is a highly territorial and residential species that, as a rule, tends to stay on the same home range throughout the year. [3][66], Ural owls tend to occur in mature but not too dense primary forest, which can variously be in coniferous, mixed or deciduous areas. According to this data, a much larger vole was preferred in the diet where available, the European water vole (Arvicola amphibius). Hawk owls are also routine vole predators but share more ecological characteristics with the great grey owl than the Ural owls, in particular their nomadic behaviours and irruptive movements. Genus: Strix. [6][101] Introduced muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus), which weigh on average an estimated 1,000 g (2.2 lb) when caught, are also taken in Finnish studies. [13], The song of the male is a deep rhythmic series of notes with a short pause after the first two notes, variously transcribed as wihu huw-huhuwo or huow-huow-huow. [4] In addition, a deep, hoarse heron-like kuwat or korrwick is probably used as a contact call. [226][227] 71.4% of 14 wild Ural owls in Japan had blood parasites while a smaller but still present number of Acanthocephala and roundworms were detected in known European data. The young Ural owls officially reach sexual maturity in the year after independence. Karell, P., Lehtosalo, N., Pietiäinen, H., & Brommer, J. E. (2010). Knystautas, A.J.V. In southern Finland, of 3351 prey items in a peak vole year, 58.43% by number and 42.8% by biomass of the prey was made of by field voles, followed by bank vole at 12.41% by number (but only 5.73% by biomass) and water voles at 22.24% by biomass (but only 10.1% by number). [175] Incidental benefit has been shown for several beetle species and sometimes other insects that have come nest in the substrate of Ural owl nest boxes, even in areas where the invertebrates are rare or endangered. However, like owls of nearly all sizes, mostly it prefers to take small prey relative to itself, especially small mammals. [4][29][30] An unlikely species to mistake a Ural owl is the Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) which is much larger (by a considerable margin the heaviest and longest winged owl in Europe) with prominent ear tufts, a squarish (not rounded) head shape and orange eyes as well as with distinctly different markings.