Ural Owl

The Ural owl is a large nocturnal member of the true-owl family. It has a rounded head without ear tufts, a long tail, broad wings and a pale facial disc edged by a darker border. Plumage varies geographically but is generally pale greyish or brownish with strong lengthwise dark streaking. The dark eyes and relatively gentle facial pattern help separate it from several other large owls. Both the English and scientific names refer to Russia's Ural Mountains, where the type specimen was collected. (Wikipedia, general species account)

Its broad Palearctic distribution runs from Scandinavia and the wooded mountains of eastern and central Europe across Russia to Sakhalin and Japan. The range is patchy in western Europe but extensive farther east wherever suitable forest remains. Ural owls are largely associated with mature woodland and hunt mainly during darkness. The species is divided into numerous geographic forms, though proposed subspecies counts vary because plumage and size change gradually across parts of the range. Local birds are generally resident rather than long-distance migrants. (Wikipedia, general species account)