Tawny owl

[Acipiter]

Can anyone please tell me if its possible to tell the sex of a tawny owl from just the front view only.

[JeffH]

Tough one this (I'm assuming you're talking about sightings 'in the field' rather than 'in hand') and whilst males are usually a little smaller size is an unreliable indicator in this species due to overlap.

Is there anything here that helps - http://www.ibercajalav.net/img/270_TawnyOwlSaluco.pdf

Jeff
(Schedule 1 Licence holder for Kingfishers, Barn Owls and Avocets)

[Acipiter]

Thanks for the link Jeff, I did know size difference, but this one was sitting on its own, so it was very difficult to know. This was back in the beginning of june, I just wondered if I may be able to take a educated guess by the time of year, or the fact that this one was moving around in the daytime.

[Dogghound]

Almost impossible in the field, the female is larger (and as Jeff says there is slight overlap), unless they are next to each other it is hard to tell, even if next to each other it can be hard unless they are at opposite extremes. You need a wing length and a weight to sex them. You can age them in the field though, if you get a good enough view. A tawny owl in the open in June could be either sex, some will have even finished breeding by then. Like a lot of birds of prey as the young get older both adults will hunt and bring food to them. If hunting conditions have been hard i.e. lots of overnight rain, then hunting sometimes extends into the day which might have been what you have seen. Very hard to make a guess, without being there.

[Acipiter]

Thanks for that Dogghound, I did get a very good view of the front, and I am fairly sure it was a mature adult. I did think at the time it was on the small size, but then its been a long while since I've seen one so close up.