We have two non-native owl species breeding in the British Isles, and the contrast between them could not be greater. The little owl, no bigger than a mistle thrush, was introduced in the late 19th century and found itself a niche.
Too small to trouble game or poultry, it gained a talon-hold across much of lowland England, but it is now in steep decline. The Eurasian eagle owl (Bubo bubo), meanwhile, is huge, with a two-metre wingspan and the power to prey upon animals as large as a fox.
They were once native, but there is no definitive proof they have occurred naturally in the British Isles since the start of the Holocene Period (11,700 years ago). There are those who dispute this, believing that despite its size, their shy, nocturnal nature has enabled small numbers to survive unseen.
Eagle owls are popularly kept in captivity, and it is escaped birds that are believed to have begun the scatter of known breeding instances over the last 40 years.
Some pairs, such as in North Yorkshire and the Forest of Bowland, have been prolific, fledgling multiple young, but unless a bird can be proven to have arrived from a wild population elsewhere, they will remain unprotected here.
A conflict of interest comes from their potential impact on other species. Eagle owls will prey on hedgehogs and other raptors, and the remains of a hen harrier were found close to an eagle owl nest in Bowland, which caused added concern for a bird whose plight is already contentious.
Top image: An Eurasian eagle-owl spreads its wings while perching on the arm of a man during a meet-up of the Kuwait Owl Team, a local group dedicated to the protection and proliferation of owls. (Credit: Getty Images)
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