The Ural Owl (Strix uralensis) is a large, powerful owl of the northern taiga, pale grey-brown overall with heavy dark streaking down the underparts and a plain, round facial disc that lacks ear tufts. Its eyes are relatively small and black — a useful mark against the yellow eyes of the similar Great Grey Owl — and a long tail gives it an elongated silhouette in flight. Females are noticeably heavier than males, with the species ranging from about 50 to 62 cm in length, a wingspan of 103 to 124 cm, and a weight of 500 to 1,300 grams.
Nocturnal and largely sedentary, the Ural Owl hunts small rodents such as voles and lemmings from a perch, striking down silently on its prey, and also takes small birds, shrews and occasionally frogs. The male's territorial call is a deep, rhythmic, somewhat dog-like "wo-ho ... wo-hohuu-wo" with a short pause partway through, heard mainly on late winter and early spring evenings; the female answers with a hoarser call. It nests in large tree cavities, broken stumps and old raptor nests, and readily takes large nest boxes, which have helped it expand its range southward. Females defend the nest aggressively and will strike at anyone approaching too closely — the trait behind the Swedish name "slaguggla," meaning "striking owl." Widely distributed across Europe and northern Asia, the Ural Owl is found across northern and central Sweden's coniferous and mixed forests, with a Swedish population estimated at 2,000–6,000 pairs and a slowly increasing trend; globally it is considered of least concern, though it remains Near Threatened on Sweden's own Red List.
Read about this species in Swedish →