A common question I see floating around the web is whether owls tend to stay in the same place or whether they migrate. Owls do have their own territories and can be very protective of their territories, sometimes even leading to violence if another owl enters their territory but how long do owls keep these territories? I will explore this question below.
So, how long do owls stay in the same place?
It’s not clear whether owls will stay in the same place their whole life but it has been known to happen. Owls generally keep the same nesting site in both summer and winter months and this can often last for around 8 consecutive years with the same mate. The benefits of having the same mate means that they can guard a territory together for a long period of time. Most owls do not migrate aside from the odd exception.
Some owls are much more possessive of their territories than others. Tawny owls can be very aggressive and fight for their area whereas Barn owls do not tend to take this approach. Barn owls do not claim their area as their own, they simply view it as the perimeters to which they will do all their hunting, breeding and roosting. Therefore, a Barn owl will happily share parts of their territory with other Barn owls without many issues. Great horned owls are often bullies to the Barred owl when it comes to fighting over territories. These species tend to choose the same type of territory but if the Great Horned owl moves close to the Barred owls site then they would move further away, this is the only time that the Barred owl will migrate as they rarely even travel far for hunting purposes. Some species of owls do migrate to warmer areas in the winter but the majority do not, an exception includes the snowy owl who have to be open to migration due to food sources often becoming scarce so they must be willing to move wherever there is prey.
It is key to remember though that owls are generally solitary and therefore even if they do keep the same mate for life, they tend to come back together just for hunting season and the rest of the time they will find separate nests. The owls will still stay in the same territory though and continue to lay claim to this area even when they are living in solitary. Male owls often only let female owls into their territories. Owls have been known to claim a territory for 8 consecutive years or more, this is impressive for wild owls as often wild owls will only survive this long, 15 is considered old in the wild so generally owls do maintain a territory for life. The owl has better odds for living a longer life by sticking to a territory they know keeps them safe.
Owl territories are extremely large and this is so they have a large area for hunting. When hunting it tougher and there is less prey around, such as when the weather is cold, the owl will extend their territory but when they have an abundance of prey to hunt then they inhabit much smaller areas. The territory can be around 12355 acres at its largest which is massive, but when the breeding season begins this decreases dramatically so the owl can stay close to the nest. By staying in one area the owl can get to know every inch of their territory and therefore this will improve their success with hunting and generally just surviving. The owl will note where they can always find prey, where they can shield from bad weather, where they can keep away from predators and humans, and by memorising an area, they can efficiently hunt at night. Owls are generally nocturnal and therefore rely on their mental flight paths to move around at night.
We have covered the scenario when owls can be competitive and territorial against other owls, specifically males against other males fighting for a territory, but this isn’t always the case. This happens when owls are paired up and ready to mate but when owls are alone and not currently mating they can sometimes roost alone and some species even roost in groups so that they can keep warm, stay safe from predators and find a mate to pair up with when mating season begins.
Therefore to conclude, owls do generally stay in the same place for the majority if not all of their life unless they are the rare exception that needs to migrate for survival purposes. Owls in the wild don’t live anywhere near as long as owls in captivity and therefore a 10 year life span is considered a long life for wild owls and they have been known to spend this many years sharing the same territory with their life long mate. Owls can really increase their success in survival and breeding by keeping the same mate and staying in the same territory for life.