Fun Fact: Barn owls have the most sensitive hearing of any creature ever tested, able to pinpoint a rustling mouse or vole in total darkness.
Long-eared Owl
Welsh: Tylluan Gorniog - Latin: Asio otus
Wingspan: 84-100cm
Habitat: Woodland
Fun Fact: In Wales, they are sparsely distributed and breeding numbers are much lower than in other parts of the UK. Because they are completely nocturnal and camouflage perfectly against tree bark, their exact population is famously difficult to track.
Little Owl
Welsh: Tylluan Fach - Latin: Athene noctua
Wingspan: 54-58cm
Habitat: Farmland
Fun Fact: The scientific name for the little owl is Athene noctua. In ancient Greek mythology, it was the companion to Athena, the goddess of wisdom, representing knowledge
Falcons
Merlin
Welsh: Cudyll Bach -Latin: Falco columbarius
Wingspan: 60-62cm
Habitat: Grassland
Fun Fact: The Merlins name traces its roots directly to Welsh mythology. It is believed to be derived from the ancient Welsh sage and enchanter Myrddin Wyllt (the legendary inspiration for the wizard Merlin)
Peregrine Falcon
Welsh: Hebog Tramor -Latin: Falco peregrinus
Wingspan: 74-120cm
Habitat: Mountains
Fun Fact: The Peregrine Falcons hunting dives—known as "stoops"—routinely exceed 200 mph, and engineers studying these falcons actually designed cones inside early jet engines based on the birds' unique nostril
Kites, Eagles and Buzzards
Red Kite
Welsh: Barcud Coch -Latin: Milvus milvus
Wingspan: 175-195cm
Habitat: Woodland
Fun Fact: By the 1930s, the entire UK population was reduced to just a handful of breeding pairs restricted to the remote valleys of mid-Wales. Today, thanks to conservation efforts, these majestic birds have made an astonishing comeback
White-tailed Eagle
Welsh: Eryr y Môr - Latin: Haliaeetus albicilla
Wingspan: 200-240cm
Habitat: Coastline
Fun Fact: In Wales, they are historically known as the Eryr y Môr (Sea Eagle), and the very last recorded Welsh nest site before their local extinction was at Kenfig Burrows near Port Talbot in 1810
