Phenotype of the Eurasian eagle-owl

Here we explain what the Eurasian eagle-owl looks like and how its coloration changes with age.

Eurasian eagle-owl: what is it like

The Eurasian eagle owl has soft down for warmth as a chick; young birds have feathers of a brown color with stripes for camouflage, and their rapid growth is notable. Adult individuals possess a strong and sharp beak for tearing food, and two large feather tufts on the head that aid in camouflage and displaying mood. The species’ eyes are large and orange, providing excellent nocturnal vision, and adult plumage is a brown hue with dark stripes, which helps them to hide among rocks and trees. Eurasian eagle owls also have strong claws on their feet for catching and holding prey.

Mass
2064–2753 g
Length
580–750 mm
Lifespan
18628–31046 days 51–85 years
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eurasian-eagle-owl
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eurasian eagle owl
Bubo bubo
The eagle owl is one of the largest owls in the world. It has large ear tufts of feathers, bright orange eyes, and a powerful body.
The eagle owl differs from other owls in its large size, orange eyes, and long ear tufts. It is important for nature because it hunts rodents and maintains balance in forests and mountains.
ambush hunting or in silent flight
trophic:carnivore
feeding_sense:hearing
feeding_timing:nocturnal
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Mass (fledgling, male)
1300–2600 g
Mass (adult owl, male)
1500–2800 g
Mass (adult owl, female)
2200–4200 g
Mass (egg)
55–75 g
Mass (owlet)
60–1400 g
Mass (fledgling, female)
1700–3400 g
Length (fledgling, male)
500–680 mm
Length (owlet)
100–350 mm
Length (egg)
55–65 mm
Length (adult owl, male)
580–710 mm
Length (adult owl, female)
620–750 mm
Length (fledgling, female)
550–720 mm
Wingspan
1600–1880 mm
Ear tufts count (adult owl)
2
Talons count (adult owl)
8
18627.75
31046.25
17466.915193663084
24952.735990947265
580.0
750.0
2063.841369095831
2753.037678014912
meadows, prairies, forb glades on land
Worker
Hot summer almost without rain
Were {name} like {animal}, then:
birth time
vertebrates
ambush
Dogs, dolphins, lynx hang out for 9-25 years and party on their birthday three times a year
m
Map
will celebrate their {n} birthday
perch
g
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
days
Warm summer
How old you would be if you lived as {name}
Theoretical maximum lifespan estimated from the Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) mathematical model. This value reflects a biological potential derived from metabolic parameters, not from direct observation — real recorded lifespans are often significantly shorter.
adult owl
Maturity
Melon
About health
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
rodents in general — rats, squirrels, ground squirrels
Repro interval
results
aerial
summer warm, winter not very cold
Ear tufts count
Colors
Sex
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
Trophic type
Filters
Palearctic realm
Mediterranean forest
Upcoming birthdays
Winter with snow
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
rains almost always, very humid
Age (juvenile)
Age (from birth to death)
Age (embryo)
most of Europe and Asia, various forests, steppes and tundra
Wanderers
Feeding occurs in open air space above ground or water.
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
More:
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
animals with backbone
Business sausages
Lifespan average
fledgling
Juvenile stage following larval metamorphosis but not yet adult.
What do they look like?
Maturity
emergence (insects)
end of lifespan
How do they live?
fertilization / egg laying
How do they behave?
birth / hatching
metamorphosis / end of larval stage
end of acceleration
Share
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
Actively hunting and capturing live prey.
flight
Pets
Ear tufts color
Lots of rain and cool summer
Feeding occurs primarily on land or in vegetation.
{name} jubilee
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
Wingspan
turns
Rascals
terrestrial forest
terrestrial herbaceous
Flooded grasslands
Forages on tree limbs or woody stems within vegetation.
Litter size
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
How to care for them?
Living from 25 to 40 years. Orangutans, bald eagles, African elephants celebrate their birthday twice a year
°C
Not specified
Share
small birds
Where are they found?
Species lacks any fixed or lasting shelter structure.
hares and rabbits
from 0.8 to 1.2 kilograms, 0.6 – 1.2 meters
Summer almost without rain
Down color
lots of rain, cool summer, snow in winter
Talons count
Locomotion through water employed while searching for or capturing prey.
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Offspring
Elders
small birds — sparrows, tits, hummingbirds
Bro
Taxons
carnivore
almost no rain in summer, more precipitation in winter
if born as {name}
Foraging takes place among trees and woody vegetation.
age
Predator remains still and concealed before launching a sudden attack.
birth date
small mammals — mice, shrews, bats
swimming
no permanent shelter
Palearctic realm
Close
was
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
nocturnal
The basics
climbing
My weight?
summer is hot and almost no rain falls
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
primary food sources
Potential Habitat
Very hot summer
d
In husbandry
On the go from 1.3 to 3.5 years. Forest mice, anoles, rainbow fish party on their birthday once a month
Feeding occurs in water bodies such as rivers, lakes, or oceans.
Mass
live hares and rabbits
cold winter, lots of coniferous trees: spruce, pine
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
terrestrial
Gestation
aquatic
small mammals
vision
summer very hot, above +25…+30 °C
{name} birthday
Link copied
No results found
Eyes color
On the map
lunge
Pleasant summer
Female ♀
all life stages
dry and hot summer, warm and rainy winter
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0 Potential habitat modelled from GBIF occurrence data. Map © Zveriki.com, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
birth year
Maturity
hearing
terrestrial habitat, land surface outside water
sq mm
yr
Beak color
comfortable summer, +20…+25 °C
How similar?
Male ♂
until the celebration
owlet
age as {name}
How do they breed?
On the go from 3.5 to 6 years. Hedgehogs, crows, lizards treat themselves to birthday snacks 6 times a year
What if eaten?
Neither
Moving up vertical surfaces like trunks or rocks to reach food.
from birth to adulthood
Young offspring still dependent on parental care.
What do they eat?
Where do they live?
Immature individual that has not yet reached reproductive maturity.
from birth to death
much snow in winter, cold
Talons color
Plumage color
forests on land — tropical, temperate, boreal
water often floods the land, lots of grass
rodents
branch
Temperate mixed forest
Duration
This is me
most of Europe and Asia, various forests, steppes and tundra
claws
Foraging activity occurs primarily during nighttime hours.
Always very wet
Gamers
How are they built?
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
terrestrial
Taiga
Asexual
swap
active predation
Who among us will transform as if by magic and become like {animal}?
Rabbits, falcons, red-eared turtles hang out for 6-9 years and party on their birthday four times a year
Where do they take shelter?
Warm summer and lots of rain
celebrated their {n} birthday
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
Daddies
Lifespan maximum
Capturing or collecting food while airborne.
whole life
Hermaphrodite ⚥
Primarily detects and locates food using eyesight.
egg
summer warm, many oaks, birches, maples
Length
kg
lots of rain, warm and pleasant summer
Rapid forward strike to seize prey.
arboreal
Observations
◉{N} more on tap
owlet
pupa
imago
young bird
eurasian-eagle-owl
filin
adi-yapalaq
bwht-awrasyt
pugach
bvec
washimimizuku-washi-mimizuku
chveulebrivi-zarnasho
uki
sulibueong-i
chon-uku
bulina
oke
ukki
diao-xiao