Obviously this bird is not an eagle, nor is it British, although Eagle Owls are quite often kept in captivity by enthusiasts in Britain. If you see one, you can't fail to be impressed. Eagle Owls can grow up to 30cm. (2 feet) tall, with a huge wingspan, fire-coloured eyes and awesome talons. Weighing up to 3.5 Kg (7.5 lb) they are the largest of all the owls.
There are several sub-species of eagle owls. They inhabit eastern Europe, Russia, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. The closely-related Great Horned Owl lives in America. These owls are agressive and powerful hunters. A large Eagle Owl can catch prey as big as a fox or a hare. There is even a story of a Great Horned Owl killing a human. The story is American and reads: "One night a man was walking in the woods wearing a Davy Crockett hat (fur with a tail). Then a Great Horned Owl swooped down and grabbed the hat, thinking it had just found the only 6-foot high Racoon in the United States, and lo and behold, it had managed to kill the man underneath the hat as well !"
Captive-bred Eagle Owls will become tame if handled daily by humans from when they are chicks of about 4 weeks old. Nonetheless, these birds have to be treated with respect.