Which owl goes Twit Twoo?

The haunting sound of the ‘Twit-Twoo’ from our back gardens and patches of woodland can sometimes keep you awake in the small hours of the morning or perhaps stop you in your tracks just as the sun starts to set in the evening!

The funny thing is, that despite there being over 250 species of owl across the globe, only one of those species actually makes the sound ‘Twit Twoo’! And it is our humble British Tawny Owl. Tawny Owls are one of five resident species of owl in the UK, and are most commonly found living in or on the outskirts of wooded areas. Whilst it isn’t definitive, female owls usually make the ‘twit’ sound, whilst the males make the ‘twoo’. Breeding pairs will use the noise to establish territories, strengthen their bond and communicate between each other. You may also hear the ‘twit’ used as a food demand by young ‘teenage’ Tawny Owls in late summer, but perhaps the time of year where this species is most vocal is in the Autumn. With the young Tawny Owls being pushed out of their parents’ territory, it’s not uncommon to hear a huge amount of racket at nighttime in the Tawny Owl camp!

You can learn a little more about Tawny Owls and our work to conserve this amber listed UK species by coming down to meet Ffion, who is our resident female Tawny Owl – she can be seen in action during the morning flying display. Famous for a lot of chatter she is quite the character!