An unusual recording from Podkarpacie. The Ural Puszczyk took a bath

The recording from the Baligród Forest District was made available on Thursday by forester Kazimierz Nawka on social media. You can see the Urals' Puszczyk (Strix Uralensis), which takes a bath in a ditch filled with water. The bird rinsed the whole body very thoroughly, dipping his head under the surface and shaking the wings so that the water arrives everywhere.

The Ural Puszczyk is a large owl, characterized by wings with a span of up to 1.3 meters and a relatively long tail. The name of the bird may bring to mind distant ends of Europe, but contrary to appearances, the Urals Puszczyk has lived in the areas of south-eastern Poland since the last glaciation. We meet him in the lowlands less often Masuria. The species prefers old forests and forests, not very dark, with open spaces where it can feed. He hunts most often at night, mainly on rodents – voles, shrews or mice.

The forests are not shy, but if you want to observe them, keep the distance. Some individuals, mainly females looking after their offspring, can be very aggressive. If the female considers a man as a threat to chicks, she will attack by using her long and sharp clutches.