Species Focus - Tawny Owl (Strix aluco)

The Tawny Owl is the commonest owl species in Britain, and can be found in any fairly well-wooded area, in the centre of towns and cities as well as in the countryside. Unlike some other owls, such as the Little Owl or the Short-eared Owl, it is very much a nocturnal species, seldom seen during the daytime. Owls roosting in trees during the day are sometimes found and “mobbed” by small birds.

They nest in holes in trees, but will also use nest boxes specifically made for this species. Pairs usually remain on their breeding territories all year, and are usually revealed to be present by their calls. The traditional “too whit, too whoo” of the Tawny Owl is actually a pair answering each other; the “too whit” (more accurately perhaps “kewick”) is the contact call of the female, with the male replying by hooting “too hooo”. Tawny Owls call most frequently in the autumn when pairs begin courting, with nesting under way as early as February. From around May, recently fledged young may be heard calling. The adult pair will drive their youngsters out of their territories after the breeding season, so that the young birds must find a new territory or starve.

The 2008-2012 tetrad atlas of breeding birds of North Wales showed the Tawny Owl to be widely distributed in the area, though absent from higher ground and also from some lowland areas. Some of the gaps in the lowlands may be more apparent than real. It was thought to be under-recorded by the atlas fieldwork, mainly because few fieldworkers were out after dark. The same is true of other general surveys, so records of this species would be very useful. There is little information available on population trends, though it has been suggested that predation by Goshawks has reduced the population in some areas.

Please submit your records, ideally with photos, to the Cofnod ORS or the LERC Wales App.