Name:Bubo blakistoni
Alias:Bubo blakistoni,Blakiston's Eagle-owl
Outline:Bird of prey
Family:Strigiformes E.Owl
length:60-71cm
Weight:3.1-3.25kg
Life:About 10-20 years
IUCN:LC
Blakiston's Eagle-owl is a large owl with two subspecies.
The Hairy-legged Eagle Owl (Bubo blakistoni) was classified as Ketupa before 2014, and was classified as Bubo in 2014.
The Hairy-legged Eagle Owl is nocturnal. It hides in trees by the river or on cliffs along the river during the day. It comes out at dusk and night, sometimes standing quietly on rocks in the river, or wading in shallow water. It often moves and roosts alone, rarely in groups. When flying, its wings flap quickly, but without any sound. It often flies low over the water or the ground, and each flight is not far.
The Hairy-legged Eagle Owl mainly feeds on fish, sometimes quite large prey, such as Amur pike, catfish, porpoise, trout, salmon and crayfish. They also take frogs and feed them in large quantities to their young. In winter, they also prey on mammals, such as hares and martens. When hunting aquatic prey, they enter the water and wade through the shallows, or stand by the water's edge and wait and pounce on their prey. They also snatch fish from the water while flying, like sea eagles. Sometimes, to intimidate an opponent, they can also strike a terrifying posture, called a threat display, by first raising their feathers, especially those on the head and neck, then thrusting their head forward, partially or fully spreading their wings, and continuously making a shrill call, which makes the opponent feel very scared. The call is long and hoarse, with a short, deep "boo-boo-boo" sound, which is different from the two-syllable call of the eagle owl.
The hairy-legged eagle owl nests in large tree holes 2-18 meters above the ground and can easily enter artificial nest boxes. They do not necessarily breed every year, most likely due to limited food supply and weather conditions. Courtship occurs in January-February. Egg laying begins as early as mid-March, when the ground and trees are still covered with snow. The clutch contains 1-3 eggs, usually 2. The eggs are completely white and measure 61×48.5 mm to 62.4×49 mm. The female incubates the eggs alone, while the male provides food. The incubation period is about 35 days. The chicks leave the nest 35-40 days after hatching and fledge at about 50 days. Juveniles remain dependent on their parents for several months and remain in their birthplace for the second year.
The number of Hairy-legged Eagle Owls in the Primorsky Territory of Russia is 250-400 (up to 80 pairs), which represents the southernmost part of its distribution range, so the total population size may reach several thousand individuals (J. Slaght in litt. 2012; 450-500 pairs on the mainland, about 60 pairs on the island subspecies). The species is declining in Russia and China, but has increased slightly in Hokkaido, Japan (Hayashi in litt. 2016).
Listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2016 ver3.1 - Endangered (EN).
Listed in Appendix I, Appendix II and Appendix III of the 2019 edition of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Listed in China's National Key Protected Wildlife List (February 5, 2021) Level 1.
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