Size: 60-80cm (wing span of 150cm). Weight; 1-1.5kg.

Habitat and Distribution: Dense, coniferous forest, and wooded parts of Taiga, from Scandinavia across Siberia to Sakhalin, Alaska, Canada and parts of north-western USA.

Age: Up 40 years.

Groups and Breeding: This owl does not build its own nests and will either nest in dead trees or will use the nests of other birds of prey for its own nest, just adding a few leaves. Females lay up to 5 eggs which are incubated for 30-40 days. Although the young will leave the nest at 4 weeks (often by falling or jumping) they often don’t fly for another 2 weeks.

Diet: Rodents, small mammals, birds, frogs and beetles.

• Although these owls look large and impressive, the majority of their bulk is actually feathers and they are a lot lighter than other large birds.
• Great Grey Owl eggs are surprisingly small measuring only 4cm wide and 5 cm high.
• Owls have asymmetric (wonky) ears which allows them to focus sound so that they can more easily locate prey.
• These owls have particularly good hearing and can locate prey up to 60cm below snow in tunnels. What’s more when they have found them they can crash through snow which is strong enough to support a person weighing 85kg!
• In the Harry Potter series of children's books, the Weasley family owl, Errol, is a Great Grey Owl.