Scientific name:
Strix aluco

Natural spread:
Central Europe

welfare the most known type of the codgers and ear-owls in Central Europe is the 38-40 cm big forest-codger. In its spread-area, the subtypes of this owl increase in its size of west to east; the females are bigger in general and weigh until 500 g. The coloring of the full-grown birds is very variable. In the same area comes with all transitions as well as light-gray as also powerfully brown colored forest-codgers before.

Reputations Also the reputation of the male certainly is generally known that sounds like "kju-wit" and from age, as "comes with" indicated, to which forest-codger brought the reputation as "Todesvogel." Also the Balzruf, a two-piece "Uuuhuu-huhuhuhu", that one can frequently hear in the late-night-winter in quiet nights, sounds uncanny and "ominous" for many people. That is superstition of course, the people point the "threatening" or "plaintive" one only toward the reputations in. The reputations have an exactly established function (precinct-demarcation, attraction of the female) in the owl-life and are not sink of any dark magic.

Way of life Forest-codgers live in alto-wood-continuances of loosened up forests, parks and is not rare also in immediate proximity of human settlements. They pick tree-caves as Nistplätze, broods also in rock and wall-niches or Nistkästen, however, where suitable trees are missing. Also had it eyries of other bird-types and even Erdhöhlen serve as Niststätten; directly, however, forest-codgers brood on the ground only in rare exceptions. The Nistmulde is not padded. The female begins with the brood in March; usually, the nest consists put eggs of 2-4 in the distance of 2-7 days, that from the 1. Egg at is incubated. As broadly usually with owls, the male looks after its brooding partner and this after 28-30 days slipping, bedunten of giving birth knows. they are fed by the mother and initially constantly gehudert. After only 3 weeks for example, both alto-birds go at hunt. In the age of 32-37 days, the boys leave the Nisthöhle.

Forest-codgers often remain its partners and also the Nistplätzen consecutively loyal several years, also they are yearly-birds; they undertake smaller hikes only in extremely hard times. The squabs however rove somewhat farther around before they differentiate themselves own precincts.

The powerful forest-codgers have only few natural enemies, however, they even are very versatile with reference to its loot-animals. Mainly night-actively, they hunt shrews and mice mainly, but also other small-mammals and birds. Reptiles, amphibians and even fish fall prey to them, also insects don't spurn it. There is to distinct specialists among these codgers while the birds become bejagt more strongly in years with inferior Nagerpopulation. Also the just as big forest-ear-owl is among the victims. This flexibility enables the forest-codgers, itself the whole year over, to detain in its precinct.