Eulen Carinthia

Owls in the DACH region occupy very different habitats. The tawny owl, Waldkauz, lives above all in old broadleaf and mixed forests but also occurs in coniferous woodland, parks, cemeteries and well-treed settlements, and is by far the most common owl species in Central Europe. The eagle owl, Uhu, the largest European owl, prefers cliffs, quarries and structurally rich landscapes in the medium mountains and Alps, but has also recolonised the lowlands after decades of persecution. Barn owl and little owl, Schleiereule and Steinkauz, are classic farmland species that hunt over open cultivated land and breed in barns, church towers, traditional orchards and pollarded willows. The long-eared owl and pygmy owl are tied closely to coniferous and mixed forests.

All owls are highly specialised predators. They hunt silently in search flight or from perches, their main prey being voles, mice and other small mammals, plus small birds and insects. The eagle owl also takes hedgehogs, corvids and occasionally young hares. Owls are very site-faithful, many species form lifelong pair bonds, and they are extremely sensitive to disturbance during the breeding season. Breeding sites include tree cavities, old raptor and crow nests, rock niches and buildings.

For hunters, owls are not quarry but fellow inhabitants of the ground, covered by the general stewardship duty of the Federal Hunting Act, the Bundesjagdgesetz. What matters in the field is careful identification at night, learning calls and silhouettes, and strictly observing the legal protections for birds of prey. A concrete contribution to owl conservation is the provision of nest boxes, for example barn owl boxes in farm buildings or little owl tubes in orchards, and the retention of old cavity-bearing trees in the shoot. Any deliberate killing, disturbance or harassment at a breeding site is a criminal offence.