Eagle Owl

New Fauna of Belarus cards are always welcome and this one, sent by Karina, is really great.

Eurasian Eagle-owls combine fast and powerful flights with shallow wing beats and long, fast glides. They also soar on updrafts, displaying a type of flight similar to that of soaring hawks like the Red-tailed Hawk.

Eurasian Eagle-owls are among the world's largest owls.

Their pumpkin orange eyes and feathery ear tufts make them one of the most striking owls in the world.

Eurasian Eagle-owls are found throughout much of Europe and Asia and in parts of northern Africa. They live in a variety of wooded habitats. They are more commonly found in areas with rocky outcrops and cliffs, but they also live in open habitats that have some trees and rocky areas like taiga, farmlands, steppes, semi-arid areas, and grasslands.

Eurasian Eagle-owls are mostly nocturnal, or active at night. They spend their days roosting, or resting, in a safe perch. If they spend too much time on the ground, even these top predators may fall prey to opportunistic ground predators like foxes.

It is believed that these owls can live to be around 20 years old in the wild.

Eurasian Eagle-owls are not picky eaters. They mainly eat small mammals such as voles, rats, and rabbits but also hunt woodpeckers, herons, and other birds, including other raptors. They also prey on amphibians, reptiles, fish, and insects. - in: https://www.peregrinefund.org/explore-raptors-species/Eurasian_Eagle-owl