The Largest Collection of Owls in the World

 
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"SUCH A WONDERFUL AND UNIQUE PLACE TO LEARN ABOUT WILDLIFE!"

senninhasenninha, tripadvisor.co.uk

 
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100+ OWLS FROM
AROUND THE WORLD

DAILY ALL-WEATHER
FLYING DISPLAYS

HANDS-ON
EDUCATION FEATURES

HOLD AN OWL FOR A PHOTO

ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND

PICNIC AREA

GIFT SHOP

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FACE TO FACE

Now you can meet face to face the birds that you've only heard as a distant Twit-Twoo. From the giant Siberian Eagle Owl to the tiny Scops Owl you can learn about their habits and habitats and how to help in their conservation. Let these awesome creatures inspire you to make a difference.

 

"WOW, WOW AND WOW AGAIN!!"

C. Kiddell, Somerset

 
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CONNECT WITH US

Our Ferruginous Pygmy Owls have settled well in their new aviary 🙂 Here's the male on one of the rare occasions they let themselves be spotted 😋 Being so small, there's a lot in the world for them to be wary of and it shows in their instinctive nature. Our Senior Keeper, Trystan, perched their aviary specifically bearing that fact in mind. We provided them with plenty of foliage for good cover and screening, lots of hidey spaces and a camouflaged nestbox in the most sheltered corner of the aviary. This helps provide them with a feeling of security whilst still allowing them to satiate their curiosity as they watch the world (they can see us, but we often can't see them! It's the owl mantra 😆) #ferruginouspygmyowl #glaucidiumbrasilianum #pygmyowl #owlsoftheworld #rainforestowls #tinyraptors #birdsofprey #owl #owlsofinstagram #owlstagram #scottishowlcentre #fascinatingcreatures #noseyowl #camouflage #pintsizedpredator #tinykillingmachine #owls Grendel, the Little Owl🦉His piercing little gaze was drawn by so many things in the park on this day. Little Owls are razor-sharp little hunters and are some of our biggest characters at the Scottish Owl Centre 😊 #littleowl #athenenoctua #owl #owlsoftheworld #owlstagram #owlsofinstagram #birdsofprey #raptor #owls #tinymurderball #scottishowlcentre #fearsome #pintsizedpredator Tiger, our Brown Wood Owl🦉This species is a rainforest-dwelling owl. During Tiger's talk, we often discuss the impact of palm oil harvesting on this species' natural habitat. Sustainably sourced vs. unsustainably sourced palm oil. Thankfully, in today's world, internet search tools make life infinitely easier when trying to figure out which brands are being responsible with the sourcing of palm oil as an ingredient in their products. If more and more people choose the brands who are being sustainable over companies who aren't during our weekly shops - then those brands might be inspired to make the same change as their rival companies did previously. Being sustainable comes in many forms, e.g. giving back through re-planting for each tree that has to be cut down, or having a limit on how many trees can be removed from any given rainforested area in the first place🌿#brownwoodowl #strixleptogrammica #owl #conservation #owlsoftheworld #owlsoftherainforests #birdsofprey #palmoil #sustainability #raptor #owls #scottishowlcentre #rainforests #helpwildlife #owlsofinstagram #owlstagram
Tomsk, our young female Ural Owl🦉She was born and bred at our Centre two years ago now ☺ Tomsk's mother is currently incubating her 2019 clutch, although she decided to nest a little later than usual this year. In the past, our Ural Owl hatch date fell on April Fool's day every single year! There's at least another week or two to go before any Ural youngsters hatch this year. Owls are usually pretty routine with their breeding attempts, but external environmental factors can affect their patterns - for example, a spell of unseasonably cold weather might put them off and they'll wait until it's slightly milder again ❄ We've had quite a few of those random spells of freezing weather this year already! #uralowl #strixuralensis #owl #owlstagram #owlsoftheworld #uralmountains #owlsofthenorthernhemisphere #beautiful #owlsofinstagram #scottishowlcentre #breedingseason #breedingattempts #incubation #ural #owls #birdsofprey #raptors #owlsofeurope
Kashmir, the Indian Eagle Owl, with the late afternoon sun catching his fierce, fiery orange eyes🦉#bubobengalensis #indianeagleowl #owl #owlsofinstagram #birdsofprey #raptor #beautifulowls #owlsoftheworld #owlstagram #scottishowlcentre #fieryeyes #eyeslikefire #orangeeyes A photo of our lovely Barn Owl, Alba, to accompany a little plea for owl awareness🦉At this time of year, adult Barn Owls are extremely busy hunting to feed several hungry owlets in their nests. This means they are hunting more frequently, potentially for longer, roaming further to find enough food for their family to survive. This often brings them into extremely close proximity to roads and motorways. Since farmland runs so close to these thoroughfares now, road traffic deaths are a huge issue for Barn Owls at this time of year. On my 50 mile commute to work today, I saw no less than five Barn Owls lying at the side of road after falling victim to a road traffic collision, and it's so saddening. Of course, some accidents can't be helped, no-one wants to hit anything on the road. Sometimes, they can just appear from nowhere and nothing can be done... But any extra awareness and diligence shown by road users at night can only help these beautiful owls' case as they try to raise their young. So if you're driving a road surrounded by farmland either side, especially ungrazed farmland, pay extra attention to the possible presence of owls on their nightly hunt 🙂 #barnowl #tytoalba #owls #owlsoftheworld #owlawareness #nocturnalhunters #owlsoftheworld #owlsofinstagram #birdsofprey #owletseason #breedingseason #owlstagram #beautiful #beautifulowls #scottishowlcentre The beautiful Tehuti, our female Pharaoh Eagle Owl 🦉This species of owl is a North African native. An interesting fact about these guys is that they have been observed preying on flamingoes in the wild! The logistics of that beg the question 'how...?' The answer is: in tiny bitesize pieces! 😆 They do swallow most of their prey animals whole, but within reason. Anything larger than the average rodent requires some disassembly 😛 It never ceases to amaze me the ability owls have for preying on things larger than themselves #pharaoheagleowl #buboascalaphus #owl #owlsofnorthafrica #owlsoftheworld #raptors #birdsofprey #scottishowlcentre #owlstagram #owlsofinstagram
If anyone ever wondered what a nosey Great Grey Owl on bath day looks like... wonder no more 😂 Here's a soggy Oulu thoroughly investigating my phone camera lens after her bath the other morning🦉Such a majestic creature - but not so much on bath day! 😂 #greatgreyowl #strixnebulosa #owls #owlsoftheworld #owlsofthenorthernhemisphere #birdsofprey #raptors #owlsofinstagram #soggy #bathday #owlybathday #scottishowlcentre #yelloweyes #owlstagram One of our non-owl birds, our male Tawny Frogmouth, has been sitting in the nest these past couple of days 🙂 One of the ways in which these birds differ from owls is that both the male and the female take it in turns to incubate any eggs! The fact that he's been in the nest every day for the past couple of days might suggest that they've got something🤞🏻 It is this pair's first possible breeding attempt, so we'll just have to wait and see whether the eggs are viable and anything hatches 😊 Baby Tawny Frogmouths are such funny-looking little things - a massive break set into a tiny fluffball. They look a little like Furbies 😂 #tawnyfrogmouth #notanowl #podargusstrigoides #incubating #pair #nesting #firstattempt #birdsoftheworld #birdsofaustralia #birdsofinstagram #scottishowlcentre Our youngest male Oriental Bay Owl 🦉The colouration on this species of owl is absolutely stunning 😍 They are said to have a very rapid, maneouvrable flight and show great skill in evading obstacles in their path ☺ #orientalbayowl #phodilusbadius #owl #owlsoftheworld #beautiful #owls #owlsofinstagram #scottishowlcentre #raptor #birdsofprey #skillful #flightstyle #owlstagram International Women's Day today, so thought we'd join in by posting photos of some of our beautiful female display team birds🦉In order of left to right swipe we have: Sheila, the Southern Boobook Owl; Bramble, the African Spotted Eagle Owl; Tehuti, the Pharaoh Eagle Owl; Cali, the American Barn Owl and finally Oulu, the Great Grey Owl! 😊 #southernboobookowl #ninoxboobook #africanspottedeagleowl #buboafricanus #pharaoheagleowl #buboascalaphus #americanbarnowl #tytoalbapratincola #greatgreyowl #strixnebulosa #owls #females #owlsoftheworld #owlsofinstagram #scottishowlcentre #displaybirds #owlambassadors #raptors #birdsofprey #internationalwomensday New arrival at our Centre 🙂 Meet Kira, the Red-tailed Hawk! She belongs to Senior Keeper Trystan and she has been settling in well to her new home at SOC 😊 The Red-tailed Hawk is direct competition for the Great Horned Owl out in the wild🦉, with the two birds often being recorded during fierce altercations over potential nest sites! It's very interesting comparing and contrasting owls to other raptors. On top of that, she is a beautiful bird 😍 #redtailedhawk #raptor #birdsofinstagram #nonowl #aerialpredator #birdsofinstagram #scottishowlcentre #beautiful #buteojamaicensis #raptorsofinstagram #birdsofprey #hawk
Cute as a button... but don't underestimate them! They are a lethal little predator and an extremely effective hunter🦉They're also an incredibly hardy little species, able to survive some impressively cold temperatues in their natural Boreal forest habitat. This is one of our Tengmalm's Owls from the Centre 🙂 They're such a stunning little species, and one of these wee beauties has recently popped up as a visitor to the Isle of Shetland this year. A first for Scotland in at least 100 years! #tengmalmsowl #borealowl #aegoliusfunereus #owl #owlsoftheworld #raptor #tinypredator #lethallittlehunter #owlsofinstagram #scottishowlcentre #birdsofprey #yelloweyes #brighteyes #owlstagram #owls Altai, the Western Siberian Eagle Owl🦉She and our Snowy Owl, Fetlar, are coming into their last few weeks of displays for the moment 🙂 With the temperatures climbing, it's almost time for them to go on holiday till the colder months come again later in the year. It's more comfortable for colder climate species like them to work in lower temperatures ☺ #westernsiberianeagleowl #bubobubosibiricus #owls #eagleowl #owlsofinstagram #orangeeyes #fieryeyes #raptors #beautiful #birdsofprey #predator #aerialpredators #owlsoftheworld #scottishowlcentre Our female Spectacled Owl🦉Their call is a sequence of six short, rattling hoots gaining in speed and lasting for a few seconds. Then they pause for differing lengths of time, before repeating the same series of hoots over again. Some authors have written that their vocalisation is similar to the tapping of a Great Spotted Woodpecker. Also, locally in Brazil, Spectacled Owls are colloquially known as 'knocking owls' 😊 #spectacledowl #pulsatrixperspicillata #owl #owlsoftheworld #scottishowlcentre #raptors #knockingowl #birdsofprey #vocalisation #owlcalls #owlsofsouthamerica Although we are the Scottish 'Owl' Centre, we do house a couple of non-owl species here, too. One of those species is the Laughing Kookaburra 😍 Not only are they intelligent, inquisitive birds that are lovely, characterful birds to house - but it also provides an opportunity to compare and contrast with all of our owls. To mention a couple, although they are also predatory birds, Kookaburras employ a completely different hunting method to owls. Their toes and feet are of a different structure, and their eyes are on the sides of their heads. Kookaburras are generally a more active bird across the day compared to our owls. This isn't just because a lot of owls are nocturnal (remembering that not every owl is nocturnal, though!)... It comes down to an innate, fundamental difference in the natures of these two different types of bird 🙂 #owlsandotherbirds #kookaburra #birdsoftheworld #nonowls #dacelonovaeguineae #laughingkookaburra #scottishowlcentre #beautiful #intelligent #curious #comparisons #birdsofinstagram #birdsofaustralia
 
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"IF ONLY ALL WILDLIFE PARKS AND ZOOS WERE AS IMPRESSIVE AS THIS - IT REALLY IS ONE OF A KIND."

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"WONDERFUL DAY - BEST FLYING SHOW EVER!!"

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