The Eurasian eagle owl

The Eurasian eagle owl



Bubo bubo – Protected in France since 1964, it is the largest nocturnal top predator with its 75 cm high.

Uncomfortable in broad day light its vision is unbelievable, it hunts at dawn and dusk; omnivorous, it eats anything alive including snakes, birds, fish, beetles, rodents and even fawns thanks to very strong claws.

More common than one might think this bird has no predators; it lives along abrupt cliffs and woody areas in low and medium altitude.

Le Grand duc est le plus grand des hiboux, un rapace nocturne tout à fait impressionnant avec ses 75 cm de haut, ses énormes yeux oranges et ses aigrettes d’une huitaine de cm chacune. Celles-ci restent le plus souvent à l’horizontale ou rabattues, contrairement à celles du Hibou moyen duc qui les relève volontiers à la verticale en cas d’excitation ou d’inquiétude.

Il est plus commun qu’on ne pourrait le croire grâce à la prohibition de sa chasse depuis 1964 et à une protection totale sur le territoire français depuis 1981. Avec son air hautain il ne craint personne n’ayant pas de prédateurs – excepté les braconniers :(. Très utile dans nos forêts, il contribue à gérer les petits mammifères et même des proies aussi grosses qu’un faon grâce à des serres très puissantes mais il consomme de tout: serpents, scarabées, batraciens, poissons, rongeurs, oiseaux, etc… Ses pattes sont entièrement recouvertes de plumes. Les performances de sa vision sont inimaginables, rien ne lui échappe pas même un moucheron! On le trouve plus facilement aux abords des falaises et escarpements rocheux où il niche et en sous-bois, en petite et moyenne altitude. Malgré sa taille, s’il reste immobile, on peut passer sans le voir tant son mimétisme le confond dans un sous-bois.

OIS GdDUC D5200I 0864

OIS GdDUC D5200I 1035

OIS GdDUC D5200I 0879

OIS GdDUC D5200I 0932

Noushka Wildlife

Noushka

Passionate about Nature and photography but mostly animals and birds. I live in France at the present, but have lived in Africa for 16 years and in the U.S. for 3 years and with Australia in mind for the future. With my husband, I created and managed a Bird Park in South Africa, raising mainly psittacines; the breeding facility housed over 1000 parrots at any given time. My photography is about sharing fauna's beauty with other enthusiasts! Equipment: NIKON lenses: 400 mm Z F4/5, 800 mm Z, 500 mm, 200/500 mm, 800 mm f5/6E

Dive in!

Discover hidden wildlife with our FREE newsletters

We promise we’ll never spam! Read our Privacy Policy for more info

Noushka Wildlife

Noushka Wildlife

Passionate about Wildlife, Photography and Wildlife issues. I live in the south of France at the present, but have lived in Africa for 16 years, in the U.S. for 3 years. With my husband, I created and managed a BIRD PARK in South Africa, raising mainly psittacines; the breeding facility housed over 1000 parrots at any given time. I speak French and English alike and manage decently in Spanish. My photography is about sharing fauna's beauty with other enthusiasts! Equipment: ALL NIKON Cameras: D500, D750 Tele lenses: 300 mm, 500 mm, 800 mm f5/6E, Zoom lenses: 16/80 mm, 80/400 mm, 200/500 mm and: Macro 150 Sigma. * * * My work can be seen HERE: http://1000-pattes.blogspot.fr/ * * * NOT ON FACEBOOK

Share this post with your friends




Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

1 Comment