Great Grey Owl

The great grey owl is an exceptionally long owl whose apparent bulk comes largely from dense feathers, a large head and a very long tail. Adults are grey above with pale barring and lighter, dark-streaked underparts. The rounded head has yellow eyes surrounded by dark rings, a huge facial disc and no ear tufts; a white bow-tie marking sits beneath the bill. Length is sixty-one to eighty-four centimetres, but its 580–1,900-gram weight is lower than that of several other large owls. Females average larger than males. (Wikipedia, general species account)

Across the north, great grey owls use dense coniferous taiga beside open meadows or bogs. The Eurasian subspecies ranges from Fennoscandia through Siberia to Mongolia, Manchuria and northeastern China. From low perches, an owl listens and watches before swooping onto prey, relying chiefly on small rodents. Its facial disc and asymmetrical ears help locate animals, even beneath deep snow. The species uses old raptor nests, broken tree tops or large cavities rather than building a nest, laying two to five eggs that are incubated for twenty-eight to thirty-six days. (Wikipedia, general species account)