Are eagle owls settling in Britain?
Yes, but not in big numbers. Reports this week claimed that a number of eagle owls had escaped from zoos on the continent and flown here to set up home. But it is more likely they escaped or were released from homes and aviaries in Britain. Eagle owls (above), which have a wingspan just shy of two metres, are the biggest in the world, dwarfing Britain’s most common owl, the tawny, which has a wingspan half the size. Experts suspect that the north of England and the Scottish Highlands were home to a number of eagle owls that were brought to the country in the 18th century only to escape into the wild. They were wiped out when game-rearing estates started shooting them for taking their birds. Malcolm Ogilvie of the RSPB’s rare breeding birds panel says there is at least one breeding pair of eagle owls (known as Bubo Bubo after the deep hooting sound they make) in the north. Since 1996, the pair have given birth to 15 babies. One pair of owls is unlikely to trigger a burgeoning population
