Eurasian Eagle-Owl

Eurasian Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo) is one of the largest owls, with prominent ear tufts, orange eyes and heavily mottled tawny plumage crossed by dark streaks and bars. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct field comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It occupies cliffs, rocky country and forest edges across Eurasia, hunting mammals and birds at night and nesting on sheltered ledges, among rocks or occasionally in abandoned large nests. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant or visitor (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).