- Lifespan
- 10–15 years in the wild, with some individuals recorded living into their late teens
- Size & Weight
- 19–21 cm, wingspan 55–65 cm; 150–220 g
- Habitat
- Open parkland, grassland, farmland with scattered trees, quarries, and coastal cliffs; favours areas with old trees suitable for nesting holes.
- UK Distribution
- Resident throughout England and Wales; scarce in Scotland; populations augmented by continental visitors in autumn and winter.
- Diet
- Primarily small mammals such as voles, mice, and shrews; also insects, spiders, small birds, and amphibians, especially in summer.
- Prey
- Voles, mice, shrews, beetles, grasshoppers, earthworms, frogs, small birds
- Predators
- Tawny Owls, Eurasian Sparrowhawks, foxes, and stoats; eggs and chicks vulnerable to corvids and other nest predators.
- Mating Season
- January to June
- Breeding
- Clutch of 3–4 white eggs; incubation period 24–25 days; fledging at 27–30 days; typically one brood per year, occasionally two.
- Behaviour
- Nocturnal and crepuscular hunter, active at dusk and night; distinctive loud, clear 'hoo-hoo-hoo' and 'kiew-kiew' calls, especially in breeding season. Pairs are often long-term residents, defending territories year-round; highly adaptable to human-modified landscapes.