Are Owls Protected Animals? You'll Understand After Reading This

Owls are the collective name for birds of the order Strigiformes, one of the most widely distributed groups of extant bird species in the world. Except for the Arctic region, owls can be seen all over the world. Common species in China include the Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo), the collared owlet (Glaucidium brodiei), the long-eared owl (Asio otus), the short-eared owl (Asio flammeus), and others. Let's take a look below at whether owls are protected animals!

Are owls protected animals?

Owls are Class II nationally protected animals in China. All species of the order Strigiformes are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and there are no captive-bred varieties. It is prohibited to sell or purchase nationally protected wild animals or their products. When special circumstances such as scientific research, captive breeding, or exhibition require the sale, purchase, or use of Class I nationally protected wild animals or their products, approval must be obtained from the wildlife administrative department of the State Council or a unit authorized by it. When the sale, purchase, or use of Class II nationally protected wild animals or their products is required, approval must be obtained from the wildlife administrative department of the provincial, autonomous region, or municipality government or a unit authorized by it.

Is killing owls against the law?

Killing owls is against the law and can even be a crime. Owls are Class II nationally protected animals in China, and hunting them violates the law. In minor cases, this results in a fine and release of the bird; in serious cases, it leads to a prison sentence. Article 31 of the Wildlife Protection Law states that anyone who illegally kills nationally protected wild animals shall have criminal liability pursued in accordance with the supplementary provisions on punishing crimes of killing precious and endangered nationally protected wild animals. Article 341 of the Criminal Law states that anyone who illegally hunts or kills precious and endangered nationally protected wild animals, or illegally purchases, transports, or sells precious and endangered nationally protected wild animals and their products, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than five years or criminal detention and shall also be fined; if the circumstances are serious, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than five years but not more than ten years and shall also be fined; if the circumstances are especially serious, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than ten years and shall also be fined or have property confiscated.

What do owls eat?

Owls mainly feed on farmland rodents such as the striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius), the lesser ricefield mouse, the greater long-tailed hamster, and the brown vole, as well as residential-area rodents such as the house mouse and the brown rat. They also eat some small birds, mammals, and insects, such as finches, warblers, bats, beetles, scarabs, locusts, and mole crickets. Owls are the birds with the strongest mouse-catching ability. A single owl can eat more than 1000 mice each year, equivalent to protecting several tons of grain for humans, truly a great contribution.