Owls Outsize Eagles? The Giant Hunters You Never Expected

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Quick Take

• Securing the title of the world’s largest owl requires a 6-foot, 3-inch wingspan.

• Having only 1,700 mature individuals remaining leaves Blakiston’s fish owl in a highly vulnerable state.

• Counterintuitively, the longest owl species does not have the world’s largest wingspan.

Owls are some of the best-known birds in the world, famous for their hooting calls and their excellent eyesight. There are approximately 250 species of owls in the world, and they can be found on every continent except Antarctica. Owls vary widely in size, with the smallest species being just a few inches long. However, some species are much, much bigger. Keep reading to discover the largest owls in the world, based on their wingspan!

10. Ural Owl

The first owl on the list is the Ural owl (Strix uralensis), which has a wingspan of up to 4 feet, 6 inches. Ural owls are brownish-grey, with a distinctive wedge-shaped tail. They are widely distributed across Asia and Europe, inhabiting mature forests but avoiding particularly dense areas. Instead, they prefer forests with meadows or clearings. Ural owls are nocturnal and mainly prey on small mammals, such as shrews and voles.

9. Brown Fish Owl

Brown fish owls (Ketupa zeylonensis) are the next on the list, with a wingspan of up to 4 feet, 7 inches, and a length of up to 24 inches. Females are typically larger than males. Brown fish owls are reddish-brown and have brown or black markings. They are native to Southeast Asia and prefer forests and woodlands close to lakes and rivers. Brown fish owls breed during the dry season, and their clutches consist of just one or two eggs. As fish owls, their diet mainly consists of fish, but they also eat amphibians and reptiles.

8. Tawny Fish Owl

Tawny fish owls (Ketupa flavipes) are reddish-brown with black markings. They have a wingspan of up to 4 feet, 7 inches, and are 19 to 24 inches long. Tawny fish owls are native to several countries in Asia, including Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar. They prefer subtropical and temperate forests in areas near rivers or streams. Tawny fish owls are active during both the day and night and prey mainly on fish. However, they will also eat small mammals, amphibians, and insects.

7. Powerful Owl

The powerful owl (Ninox strenua) is native to Australia, where it inhabits coastal areas. Powerful owls have a wingspan of up to 4 feet, 7 inches, and a body length of up to 26 inches, including their long tail. They are greyish brown with white barring on their upper parts and white with brown barring on their underside. Powerful owls have a hawk-like appearance, with a small head and a prominent bill. They are excellent hunters, preying mainly on tree-dwelling marsupials such as sugar gliders and possums. Powerful owls nest in tree hollows, typically laying two eggs that hatch after 36 to 38 days.

6. Great Horned Owl

Also making the list is the great horned owl (Bubo virginianus), which has a wingspan of three to five feet. Great horned owls have prominent ear tufts and are greyish brown with a white patch of feathers on their throat. They are native to the Americas, where they live in a wide range of habitats, including forests, mountains, and deserts. Great horned owls lay their eggs in tree nests that have been abandoned by other birds. They lay one clutch of eggs per year, which hatches after 30 to 37 days.

5. Verreaux’s Eagle Owl

Verreaux’s eagle owl (Ketupa lactea), also known as the giant eagle owl or milky eagle owl, is the largest owl in Africa, with a wingspan of 4.5 to 5 feet and a length of 26 inches. These owls are pale grey-brown, with some white barring. They are native to sub-Saharan Africa and inhabit woodlands, savannas, and grasslands. Verreaux’s eagle owls are nocturnal and prey on a variety of mammals and birds. Due to their large size and powerful nature, they are capable of hunting prey as large as monkeys.

4. Great Grey Owl

The great grey owl (Strix nebulosa) is one of the longest owl species in the world, with females reaching up to 33 inches. However, their wingspan is only about five feet, not the longest among owls. Great grey owls are mainly grey but have a combination of light and dark barring. They also have a distinctive white marking near their beak, often referred to as a “bow tie.” They are fairly widespread across the Northern Hemisphere and are usually found in coniferous forests. However, they don’t create their own nests, instead using those abandoned by other large birds.

3. Snowy Owl

Snowy owls (Bubo scandiacus) are a little larger, with a maximum wingspan of 5 feet, 6 inches. They are instantly recognizable by their appearance, which is bright white, although females usually have black barring. Snowy owls are native to the Arctic regions, although they can be observed further south during the winter months. They nest in the Arctic, typically in a shallow depression scraped into the ground. Their eggs hatch after about 32 days.

2. Eurasian Eagle Owl

The second-largest owl in the world is the Eurasian eagle owl (Bubo bubo), which has a wingspan of up to 6 feet, 2 inches. Eurasian eagle owls are up to 30 inches long and weigh three to nine pounds. Although they are a little longer and heavier than the next owl on the list, they have a slightly smaller wingspan. Eurasian eagle owls inhabit Europe, Asia, and parts of Africa and Russia, living in a wide variety of habitats, including forests and rocky mountains. Eurasian eagle owls predominantly prey on small mammals, but can also take on larger prey, such as foxes, due to their large size.

1. Blakiston’s Fish Owl

The largest owl in the world is Blakiston’s fish owl (Ketupa blakistoni), which has a massive wingspan of 5 feet, 10 inches, to 6 feet, 3 inches. Blakiston’s fish owls are 24 to 28 inches long. Males weigh up to eight pounds, while females are slightly larger at around ten pounds. They are native to China, Japan, and parts of the Russian Far East, where they live in forests and near rivers and lakes. Blakiston’s fish owls prey mainly on fish such as trout, salmon, and pike, which they typically catch by swooping down and grabbing them directly from the water. Blakiston’s fish owls are a vulnerable species, with fewer than 1,700 mature individuals remaining. Habitat loss and a slow reproductive rate are leading factors in their decline.

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