British owls - a painting of all 5 species of owls

A parliament of British Owls

• An original painting in watercolour on 600gsm paper, size size 540 x 400mm
• Digital file for you to make a print at a format and size of your choice
• A2 size signed poster prints

I also have greetings cards of my British owls painting as part of a pack.

Prints of my British owls painting are:

• poster size A2
• made in UK
• signed and ready for you to frame
• comes carefully rolled in a card postal tube, free of nasty plastic packaging

Love British birds? Here's an offer!
Buy any one of my A2 signed posters of British birds (Tits, Finches, Owls, Crows or Thrushes) and get 50% off a second print of Owls, Thrushes or Crows. Use the code BRITISHBIRDS50 at the checkout.

About British Owls

Owls are members of the strigiformes family and, despite folklore, are not that wise! Especially compared with crows, for example. A group of owls is called a 'parliament'.

Owls may not be wise, but they are extraordinary predators with massive talons and fabulous hearing. Their broad wings allow them to float slowly over their hunting grounds listening for the faint rustles of small mammals - their favourite food. Their feathers have soft trailing edges which reduces air turbulence and allows them to fly in almost total silence. Evolution has provided them with superpowers!

The nemesis of the vole

In my painting 'British owls' I have illustrated all five species of owl resident in the British Isles:

Barn Owl

The barn owl (Tyto alba) is one of the most instantly recognisable of birds - its pretty heart-shaped face and bright white and grey/yellow plumage and deep dark eyes. It has a notably wide global distribution occuring naturally on all continents except Antarctica. They mostly eat small rodents. A great reason never to use rat poison! A night hunter you can sometimes see them out at dawn or dusk flying slowly over scrubby fields where their prey live.

Tawny Owl

The tawny owl (Strix aluco) is the owl who goes "k-wik - wooo!" Mrs Tawny says 'k-wik' and Mr Tawny answers back with 'wooo!' It's a stocky owl with brown plumage about the size of a wood pigeon. They eat small mammals and birds, but also take frogs, fish, insects and worms. You'll rarely see a tawny in the day except perhaps asleep high up in a tree.

Little Owl

The little owl (Athene noctua) is the smallest of British owls. It was introduced to the UK in the 19th century, but no one seems to mind, and it's not persecuted like the grey squirrel, for example. Introduced species are here to stay and we must get used to the 'New Wild'. They take small mammals and birds, insects and worms and will pursue their prey on the ground. You might spot one perching openly in the day time. They pair for life.

Short-eared Owl

The short-eared owl (Asio flammeus) has amazing yellow eyes! You'll see them hunting in the day. There's a place near to where I live where they come every winter and it's a very special treat to go to see them - usually about four of them - quartering over the grassy open fields looking for small mammals. Their little ear tufts are not always visible, but they'll sometimes erect them as a form of communication with other owls.

Long-eared Owl

The long-eared owl (Asio otus) is the only British owl I have never seen wild - but I'd love to! Those tufts are not actually ears, but feathers - presumably to make them look more like a fierce mammal! I always used to imagine them as being huge, but actually they're about the same size as a wood pigeon.