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The Beautiful Uhu (lemmy.world)

From Owl and Raptor Center Haringsee

Do you know the largest native (German) owl species? It's the beautiful eagle owl. The eagle owl has a pair of striking, long, feathered ears, large orange-red eyes, and a characteristically thick head.

Eagle owls prefer richly structured, diverse landscapes where they can find good hunting grounds, suitable breeding sites, and daytime hides. They particularly like to fly to bodies of water to hunt, and they prefer covered areas on rock faces to breed, but can also feed their young in sand and clay pits, on the forest floor, or in tree nests.

The eagle owl's menu is very varied: from shrews to foxes, from sparrows to female hawks and grey herons, it will also eat fish, large beetles, grasshoppers, earthworms, and snails. Especially in winter, it will also feast on carrion and meat scraps. It also builds up a reserve layer of blubber in the fall, which allows it to survive very long periods of hunger.

Original German

Kennt ihr die größte heimische Eulenart? Es ist der wunderschöne Uhu. Der Uhu besitzt ein Paar auffällige lange Federohren, große orangerote Augen und einen charakteristisch dicken Kopf. Uhus bevorzugen reich gegliederte, abwechslungsreiche Landschaften, in denen sie gute Jagdgebiete, geeignete Brutplätze sowie Tageseinstände finden. Zur Jagd fliegen sie besonders gerne an Gewässer, zur Brut bevorzugen sie überdachte Stellen in Felswänden, können jedoch auch in Sand- und Lehmgruben, am Waldboden oder in Baumhorsten ihre Jungen versorgen.

Die Speisekarte des Uhus ist sehr vielseitig: Von der Spitzmaus bis zum Fuchs, vom Sperling bis zum Habichtsweibchen oder Graureiher, aber auch Fischen, großen Käfern, Heuschrecken, Regenwürmern und Schnecken verschmäht er nichts. Besonders im Winter geht er auch an Aas und Fleischabfälle.

Außerdem legt er im Herbst eine Reserve-Speckschicht an, durch die er sehr lange Hungerperioden überstehen kann.

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[-] troglodyte_mignon@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Unfortunately for me, there’s none in the nearest zoos, which isn’t surprising since they’re mostly focused on “exotic” animals. I’ll probably have to wait a few years before I’m able to travel in another region to visit a zoo that has an eagle owl.

But while searching, I saw that the zoo near my summer workplace has snowy owls, maybe I’ll go take a look one of these days!

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

What?! That's crazy! I would think everyone would want an Eagle Owl. Even if they're a regular resident, it's not like people get to regularly see them up close.

I saw my first Snowy this year. I wanted to see if it lived up to the hype from all the memes and such.

The one I saw exceeded expectations! He was totally charming and made many great faces. I think anyone who likes them in photos would love them in person. Very beautiful owls!

[-] troglodyte_mignon@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

I don’t know, you’d think it would be easy for them to get eagle owls since they’re local, but they’re wild animals, so it’s probably not that simple? Obviously they can’t take them from the wild. And in the end, only few zoos are easily accessible (without a car) from my home, so it’s not that surprising that they don’t have one particular species. Space is precious, after all, and there are so many amazing animals, they have to make choices I guess.

I looked a bit more, and there seem to be eagle owls in two not-too-far-but-not-too-close zoos that I didn’t know or think about, which could be reachable in a big day trip even without a car. One of them is in a forest and has a lot of forest mammals as well as raptors, it looks really nice and different from the zoos closer to me. I’m a student-worker, though, so when I get a day off it’s generally spent either studying or trying to fix something in my apartment or desperately trying to rest. Even a day trip can be difficult. :-( Maybe I’ll be able find some time, we’ll see.

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

There are animals that are injured and can't be released and survive, and there are also animals born to be raised by people as educational animals. Zoos will also trade animals with each other, so if a zoo would have a mated pair of Eagle Owls and it had a chick, they could exchange it with another place for another animal they have an extra of. Those are the ways I know of that they get animals for display here anyway.

The one in the forest sounds nice, like that raptor center in Germany I get posts from. Even if it's captive, you're seeing it in a situation somewhat closer to its natural environment.

Don't kill yourself to go see it, I will keep you stocked with owl entertainment until the opportunity arises for you!

[-] troglodyte_mignon@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

In the worst-case scenario, it can be a reward-trip for getting my diploma in a few years! I’m counting on you in the meanwhile, ha ha.

this post was submitted on 25 Jul 2025
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US Wild Animal Rescue Database: Animal Help Now

International Wildlife Rescues: RescueShelter.com

Australia Rescue Help: WIRES

Germany-Austria-Switzerland-Italy Wild Bird Rescue: wildvogelhilfe.org

If you find an injured owl:

Note your exact location so the owl can be released back where it came from. Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitation specialist to get correct advice and immediate assistance.

Minimize stress for the owl. If you can catch it, toss a towel or sweater over it and get it in a cardboard box or pet carrier. It should have room to be comfortable but not so much it can panic and injure itself. If you can’t catch it, keep people and animals away until help can come.

Do not give food or water! If you feed them the wrong thing or give them water improperly, you can accidentally kill them. It can also cause problems if they require anesthesia once help arrives, complicating procedures and costing valuable time.

If it is a baby owl, and it looks safe and uninjured, leave it be. Time on the ground is part of their growing up. They can fly to some extent and climb trees. If animals or people are nearby, put it up on a branch so it’s safe. If it’s injured, follow the above advice.

For more detailed help, see the OwlPages Rescue page.

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