At least that’s what the headline says. The Eagle Owl with its 6ft wingspan, and a body length of nearly 2ft 6in, is bigger than all other British birds of prey except for the golden eagle and the white-tailed eagle. It is twice the size of the tawny owl and the barn owl. The only other land bird to compare with it in size in Britain would probably be the great bustard, which died out nearly 200 years ago.
Even though this is a huge predator, capable of killing animals as large as roe deer, the headline of threatening British birds seems a bit over the top to me, unless, as the story states, more of these beautiful birds escape from captivity. You see they estimate some 3,000 Eagle Owls are kept by falconers in the UK.
You can read the entire story here: http://mysterytopia.com/2008/09/worlds-largest-owl-threatens-british.html
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Isn’t it sad that journalist write headlines for effects, that then are discovered to be true only if some “if’s” and “when’s” come to pass?
Cheers, Klaus
Klauss last blog post..Bird Photography Weekly #3
How true Klaus. Kind of like politicians huh?
Very beautiful bird. Nice photo.
))
animtreebirds last blog post..Black drongo
Hi Animtreebird, So true! The Eagle Owl is definitely on my list of “must see” birds. Can you imagine this beautiful bird with a 6 foot wingspan, silently flying overhead?
Make sure you folks go see Animtreebirds flickr site by clicking on the link on their blog. Incredible photographs there.