STORY

In Europe, Ural owls inhabit two areas. In the south there’s the Dinaric-Carpathian population, and in the north, the Fennoscandian population. However, these birds are also distributed over a large part of northern Asia, all the way to Japan.

The Ural owl is extremely protective and thus very aggressive during the nesting season. It fiercely attacks any intruder trying to reach its chicks. It is not afraid of wild cats or martens, or even much larger intruders like bears or humans.

In winter-time, especially young individuals wander into areas where food is relatively abundant. This includes non-forest areas, particularly settlements where can hunt rats, pigeons, and the like, seeking easy prey.

The Ural owl became extinct in Austria. Reasons were people’s superstitions and the lack of suitable habitat. The resettlement of the Ural owl in Austria began in 2009. When a certain animal species goes extinct, it is extremely difficult to reintroduce it. It is always easier to act sooner rather than later.