Eurasian Eagle Owl Lands On A Head

In the lower Himalayas of northern Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir, along with the brown fish owl, the Eurasian eagle-owl at the limit of its distribution may co-exist with at least two to three other eagle-owls. One of these, the dusky eagle-owl (B. coromandus) is smaller, with more uniform tan-brownish plumage, untidy uniform light streaking rather than the Eurasian’s dark streaking below and an even less well-defined facial disc. The dusky is usually found in slightly more enclosed woodland areas than Eurasian eagle-owls. Another is possibly the spot-bellied eagle-owl (Bubo nipalensis), which is strikingly differ looking, with stark brown plumage, rather than the warm hues typical of the Eurasian, bold spotting on a whitish background on the belly, and somewhat askew ear tufts that are bold white with light brown crossbars on the front. It is possible that both species occur in some parts of the Himalayan foothills but they are not currently verified to occur in the same area, in part this is because of the spot-bellied’s preference for dense, primary forest. Most similar, with basically the same habitat preferences and the only one verified to co-occur with the Eurasian eagle owls of the race B. b. turcomanus in Kashmir is the Indian eagle-owl (B. bengalensis). The Indian species is smaller with a bolder blackish facial disc border, more rounded and relatively smaller wings and partially unfeathered toes. Far to the west, the pharaoh eagle-owl (B. ascalaphus) also seemingly overlaps in range with the Eurasian, in at least the country of Jordan. Although also relatively similar to the Eurasian eagle-owl, the pharaoh is distinguished by its smaller size, paler, more washed-out plumage and the notably diminished size of its ear-tufts.
Moulting
The Eurasian eagle-owls’ feathers are lightweight and robust but nevertheless need to be replaced periodically as they become worn. In the Eurasian eagle-owl, this happens in stages and the first moult starts the year after hatching with some body feathers and wing coverts being replaced. The next year the three central secondaries on each wing and three middle tail feathers are shed and regrow, and the following year two or three primaries and their coverts are lost. In the final year of this post-juvenile moult, the remaining primaries are moulted and all the juvenile feathers will have been replaced. Another moult takes place during years six to twelve of the bird's life. This happens between June and October after the conclusion of the breeding season and again it is a staged process with six to nine main flight feathers being replaced each year. Such a moulting pattern lasting several years is repeated throughout the bird's life.