This lovely looking Ural Owl chick is called ‘Fohn’ and has been reared by Anabelle and the staff at the ‘International Centre for Birds of Prey’ at Duncombe Park, Helmsley in North Yorkshire.

When fully grown it will be a medium - large owl, smaller than the Great Grey Owl and larger than the Tawny Owl, with a round head, a long tail with a wedge shaped tip.

They will grow to a length of between 50 – 60cm, have a wing span of up to 134cm, and weigh between 500-1300g, the females being the heavier bird.

The Ural Owl is mainly nocturnal, and it is most active at dusk and just before dawn. They are quite a sociable bird, although can be quite aggressive when defending their young, and roosts during the day in tree trunks or dense undergrowth. The owls feed on a wide selection of small mammals including frogs, birds and insects though their main source tends to be voles and mice.

The Ural owl has an extended distribution area in Europe and Asia, from Sakhalin, Japan and Korea in the east to Scandinavia in the west. The northern populations of the Ural owl occupy similar habitat to the great grey owl, nesting in lowland forests but avoiding dense areas, especially those of purely conifers. In central Europe it is an upland species, preferring deciduous woodland. It usually occupies open woodland and is more often found in moist rather than dry areas. It nests in hollow tree trunks, occasionally in old raptor nests, and increasingly in nest boxes. It normally lays two to four eggs, which hatch after 27–34 days. The young leave the nest after about four weeks, but will not fly until about six weeks old.