- Lifespan
- 10–27 years in the wild; typically 10–15 years
- Size & Weight
- 31–40 cm, wingspan 86–102 cm; 215–290 g
- Habitat
- Open woodlands, coniferous plantations, scrubland, and reed beds with scattered trees for roosting and nesting.
- UK Distribution
- Breeds throughout mainland Britain and Ireland, though patchily distributed. Winter numbers are boosted by continental migrants from October to March. Breeding population has declined significantly since the 1990s.
- Diet
- Primarily small mammals, especially voles, mice, and shrews; also hunts small birds and insects, particularly in winter when mammal prey is scarce.
- Prey
- Wood mice, bank voles, common shrews, sparrows, skylarks, beetles, and grasshoppers
- Predators
- Golden Eagles, Eurasian Goshawks, and occasionally larger owls; eggs and chicks may be taken by corvids and foxes
- Mating Season
- January to June, with peak activity February to April
- Breeding
- Clutch of 4–5 eggs; incubation period 24–30 days; single brood per year; fledging occurs at 21–26 days
- Behaviour
- Highly nocturnal and cryptic, roosting communally in dense cover during winter. Males perform dramatic sky-dancing displays with stalling and wing-clapping in spring. Long ear-tufts are raised when alarmed, though these are not true ears.