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Dieren en planten

Birds   Owls   Long-eared owl   Short-eared owl   Bird Protection   Raptors and owls   
Long-eared owl, foto fitis, adriaan dijksen

Owls

Owls have sharp claws and a hooked beak. They often fly noiselessly through the night in search of mice or othe small animals. However, not all owls are nocturnal. The short-eared owl and the snowy owl hunt during the day. Owls have long round wings, a short tail and feathers on their feet and legs. Their eyes are located on the disc-like face. So in order to look in other directions, they have to rotate their entire head. They're very good at doing that. In fact, they can almost rotate their head in a complete circle.

On Texel


The long-eared and the short-eared owl nest on the island. Since 2009, several barn owls have been nesting here as well. In November 2008, a young female snowy owl was seen on Texel. This was the fourth time ever for Texel and the 14th time for the Netherlands. This owl stayed on the island till early February 2009, mainly in the goose reserver Zeeburg near de Cocksdorp. She then flew to Terschelling and Ameland. She was probably returning to her nesting area. Snowy owls live and nest on the tundras near the North Pole. Young animals wander more often far from house.

  • Pellets

    Owls swallow the animals they catch entirely. However, the hair, feathers, bones or parts of insects that aren't digestible are regurgitated in the form of a pellet. A pellet often contains the remains of multiple meals. You can tell what the owl ate by the contents of the pellet. Sifting pellets apart is a very good method for determining what kinds of rare species of mice or voles live in the area.