Scientific name:
Asio flammeus

Natural spread:
Europe, Asia, America

the swamp-ear-owl differs rather strongly from the other codgers and ear-owls in its way of life. Over almost whole Eurasia, North America and wide area of South America spreads, open, wet or moist terrain lives in it and builds a downright, roundish nest, that always is at the ground. it links quite skillfully coarser plant-parts to an outer cover on that occasion and pads the inside with fine material. Such a nest is very uncommon for owls.

Brood Only rarely, swamp-ear-owls put its 4 -7 (in good years up to 14) eggs into an ungepolsterte ground-hollow. The Aufzucht of the boys proceeds like like with most owl-types. Only the female incubates the eggs put in two-day distance of the first egg at and hudert the boys slipping after 24 -29 days extensive; during this time, the male alone creates the food along. The squabs begin to wander after 12-14 days, becomes fully-fledged only after further 10 days, however.

Way of life Another peculiarity of the swamp-ear-owl is its strong activity on the hellichten day; of course, it is on the way also during the twilight-hours. it hunts in the Pirschflug and from attendants from on small-mammals; occasionally, it assumes also smaller birds, reptiles and insects. However, field-mice (in Central Europe) and Lemminge (in Northern Europe) amount the predominant share.

The Balzflug of the male is showy: its Nistrevier flies around it in the swinging flight in order to then hover in often big height circling and, to let themselves from it down-fall steeply. On this occasion it claps the wings slapping under the stomach, intercepts itself over the ground and begins this game anew. During it, performs courtship display pushes the male deep, on "u" of reputations forth, while otherwise both sexes let a barking, hard reputation frequently heard. Swamp-ear-owls often are belligerent in nest-proximity, also they like to "tempt."

Shape Both sexes are immediately colored, the female swamp-ear-owl becomes somewhat bigger than the male (length 38 cm, weight for 350 g) normally. The feather-ears of the swamp-ear-owls are insignificantly small and only from the proximity recognizable. With strong arousal, they are set up more strongly. Beside this characteristic, the swamp-ear-owl differs also in its only alongside-striped underside and above all through the light-yellow eye of the somewhat smaller forest-ear-owl.

Hikes Dependent on the food-offer, swamp-ear-owls undertake more or less wide hikes ("line-birds"). Outside the incubation, they rove far around and can meet to troops of 20-30 animals. Most swamp-ear-owls move in to the winter into the Mediterranean-area, to Africa and into the fore Orient. Some animals also spend the winter on the spot; even in Scandinavia - dependent on the mouse-offer -, bigger continuances became over observed the winter.

Endangering The swamp-ear-owl is on the red list of the strongly endangered types with us.