Data Zone
Taxonomic source(s)
AERC TAC. 2003. AERC TAC Checklist of bird taxa occurring in Western Palearctic region, 15th Draft. Available at: http://www.aerc.eu/DOCS/Bird_taxa_of_the_WP15.xls.
Cramp, S. and Simmons, K.E.L. (eds). 1977-1994. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The birds of the western Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
| Critically Endangered | Endangered | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | - |
| Year | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Least Concern | |
| 2016 | Least Concern | |
| 2012 | Least Concern | |
| 2009 | Least Concern | |
| 2008 | Least Concern | |
| 2004 | Least Concern | |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Least Concern | |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Least Concern | |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| Migratory status | nomadic | Forest dependency | medium |
| Land-mass type | Average mass | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) | 44,700,000 km2 | medium |
| Severely fragmented? | no | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population size | 50000-99999 mature individuals | poor | estimated | 2021 |
| Population trend | increasing | - | estimated | - |
| Generation length | 7.88 years | - | - | - |
Population justification: The global population is estimated to number 120,000 individuals (Partners in Flight 2020), which equates to 80,000 mature individuals. The North American population is estimated at 58,000 individuals (Partners in Flight 2020), or 38,700 mature individuals. The European Population is estimated at 12,400-19,900 mature individuals (BirdLife International in prep.). Europe forms approximately 13% of the global range, so a very preliminary estimate of the global population size is 95,300-153,100 mature individuals, although further validation of this estimate is needed. The population is precautionarily placed in the band 50,000-99,999 mature individuals, but the actual population could be considerably larger.
Trend justification: The overall trend is likely to be increasing. This species has undergone a significant large increase between 1970-2017 in North America (Partners in Flight 2021), and in Europe the population size is estimated to be stable (BirdLife International in prep.).
| Country/Territory | Presence | Origin | Resident | Breeding visitor | Non-breeding visitor | Passage migrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belarus | extant | native | yes | |||
| Canada | extant | native | yes | |||
| China (mainland) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Finland | extant | native | yes | |||
| Germany | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Kazakhstan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Latvia | extinct | native | yes | |||
| Lithuania | extant | native | yes | |||
| Mongolia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Norway | extant | native | yes | |||
| Poland | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Russia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Russia (Asian) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Russia (Central Asian) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Russia (European) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Sweden | extant | native | yes | |||
| Ukraine | extant | native | yes | |||
| USA | extant | native | yes |
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Pastureland | marginal | non-breeding |
| Forest | Boreal | major | resident |
| Grassland | Subarctic | suitable | resident |
| Shrubland | Boreal | suitable | resident |
| Wetlands (inland) | Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands | suitable | resident |
| Altitude | 0 - 3200 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching - Scale Unknown/Unrecorded | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Agriculture & aquaculture | Wood & pulp plantations - Agro-industry plantations | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
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| Biological resource use | Gathering terrestrial plants - Unintentional effects (species is not the target) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Biological resource use | Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Whole (>90%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
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| Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases | Viral/prion-induced diseases - West Nile Virus (WNV) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Pollution | Agricultural & forestry effluents - Herbicides and pesticides | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
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| Residential & commercial development | Tourism & recreation areas | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
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| Transportation & service corridors | Roads & railroads | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Transportation & service corridors | Utility & service lines | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Purpose | Scale |
|---|---|
| Pets/display animals, horticulture | international |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Great Grey Owl Strix nebulosa. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/great-grey-owl-strix-nebulosa on 23/11/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 23/11/2024.