Duffy - European Eagle Owl

Where else could we start our regular ‘bird of the month’ series than with DUFFY our EUROPEAN EAGLE OWL.

The European Eagle Owl belongs to the family Strigidae and the species name is Bubo bubo. It is the nominate species of the Bubo (Eagle Owl) genus, and is one of the largest and most dramatically powerful of birds. They can weigh up to 3kg (6.5lbs) and can have a wingspan of 1.7m (5.5ft). Their characteristically large ‘ear tufts’ are actually nothing to do with their ears, which are located on either side of the head behind the facial disc, but they are used as some kind of mood indicators.

Their distribution is from mainland Europe and North Africa in the west, through Asia to China and Sakhalin Island in the east, and from Norway south to the Sahara. Though they have this extensive range, they are never common anywhere and indeed in Europe they have become rare and may become endangered.

Their preferred habitat is mountainous forests, semi-desert areas and rocky slopes. Wherever they live, they are not only the most dominant owl but they also dominate almost all of the diurnal birds of prey. They will kill Tawny Owls and Long Eared Owls that enter their territory, and will also prey upon the likes of Peregrine Falcons, Goshawks and Buzzards, and other smaller birds. Other sources of food include rats, hares and squirrels.

The nest is a mere scrape in a fissure or on the ground, and they lay two or three eggs in April or May. If all goes well for them, their lifespan is anything up to twenty years in the wild. In captivity in a safe, comfortable home such as the Hawk Conservancy, they will live in excess of forty years.

Duffy is the best known of our European Eagle Owls, and is such a favourite with everyone who knows him that our coffee shop is named after him. Such is his popularity that he is sometimes sent Christmas cards and even presents, which he very kindly shares with the staff. Apparently this year he has requested that if anyone is inclined to send him a gift, please could he have a single malt whisky!

Duffy arrived here as a young chick in 1979, and having been hand-reared, was well imprinted to humans. He was raised and trained by Ashley Smith, our CEO here, and the two of them share an almost unhealthily close relationship. Being imprinted means that he thinks that he is one of us, or perhaps that we are all Eagle Owls. This is what makes him call to us with his unforgettable ‘‘ohoo’’ when we pass near his home, a call that is loud enough to carry over the whole park. Ashley’s call in reply is equally impressive. This calling becomes very persistent in the breeding season. Duffy wouldn’t actually know what to do with a female owl if he was introduced to one, but he definitely has less than honourable intentions towards humans that he knows well, especially to Ashley and also to Clive Chester, with whom has also had a long association. He has all the correct instincts of an owl in the breeding season, and when someone gives him his food in the morning, he will often bring it back to them as he would do to a female owl. He makes the typical Eagle Owl scraping in the shingle on his aviary floor for a nest, and will invite us to come and lay eggs there when we pass by his aviary!

An advantage of his imprinting was that it enabled Ashley to train Duffy to the very high standard needed to give the flying demonstrations which have been enchanting visitors for many years now. Duffy has the characteristic large orange eyes of these magnificent birds, and this gives him exceptional vision in poor light, which he displays so well when demonstrating in the Owls by Torchlight evenings here. Indeed, when asked to perform at night he really comes into his own and gives a different and even more confident display than he does by day.

Not only has he more than fulfilled his duties here at the Conservancy, but he is also a very well travelled owl having undertaken numerous engagements all over the country. When his travels have required an overnight stop at a hotel, he has had to be given the ensuite bathroom so that he can sleep while perched on the shower curtain rail. Unfortunately, he hoots for most of the night, so his travel companions have to be armed with earplugs. However, they get great amusement from overhearing the other hotel guests complaining over breakfast about the owl outside which kept them awake all night! Amongst his claims to fame are appearances on BBC Natural History programmes, and his featuring in advertisements for Bacardi rum, Canon cameras and Guardian Direct 282820 (two-eight, two-eight, two-oh!).

Despite his imposing size, he can be quite a wimp. One of his big fears is of hang-gliders and hot air balloons. We think that this because when he looks up he sees them as very large birds with a human dangling underneath, which means to him that it must be something extremely powerful and ferocious. A few years ago, when buzzards were a much rarer sight in the sky, he was scared of them too, until he saw enough of them to realise that they were not a threat. The same has occurred recently with the arrival of kites in the sky. He really doesn’t like any change in his life or surrounds, and was visibly disturbed when the study centre was built near his aviary because it changed and grew taller every day.

One of his less tasteful traits is a love of catching hedgehogs that stray into his home. Unfortunately, Ashley’s mother Hilary is very keen on these animals. She has had to spend much time and effort rehabilitating those poor unfortunates that have been rescued from Duffy’s clutches.

He is now showing signs of an arthritis in one wing that is now drooping slightly, so his flying displays are being limited to appearances in the spring and autumn thus giving him a rest in the summer. Despite his being 26 years old, he could live well into his 40’s here at the Conservancy, so he should be delighting visitors and staff alike for many more years to come.