Locals in Blairgowrie are being asked to be on the lookout after a Siberian eagle owl took flight from her owner’s home.
The impressive-looking female, which stands around two foot tall and boasts a five-foot wide wingspan, has been missing since Tuesday evening.
Owner Alex Matossian said the missing bird is likely to still be in or around the Golf Course Road area of Blairgowrie.
He’s now made an appeal for anyone who may spot his errant pet to contact him immediately.
Missing owl stands two feet tall and has a huge five-foot wingspan
The young bird is just 12 months old and was acquired by Alex from a friend who could no longer keep her as a pet.
Because of the bird’s tender age he fears the longer she remains at large the more chance it has of coming to harm.
“She’s only very young in terms of a Siberian eagle owl, which is a subspecies of the Eurasian eagle owl, so I can’t really be sure how well she will cope in the wild,” said Alex.
“She hasn’t had any experience of hunting for prey so it is a worry while she’s out there.”
Alex thinks the owl took flight sometime late on Tuesday evening after being fed.
“She was fine when I fed her on Tuesday evening and only realised she had gone missing once I returned home from working in Edinburgh on Wednesday,” he said.
“I’m now hoping that people in and around the Golf Course Road area of Blairgowrie might spot her.
“She is a striking creamy light fawn colour with brown markings and has orange eyes.
“She also has a very large five-foot wingspan.
“I’d advise people that the owl is also twice the weight of a buzzard and much lighter in colour.”
The female owl went missing in the Golf Course Road area of Blairgowrie
As its name suggests, it is found in western Siberia, making it the most northerly distributed of all the Eurasian eagle owl subspecies.
It is one of the largest species of owl with the female of the species having a lifespan of around 30 to 40 years.
Alex hopes the public will help him bring the bird back to safety but is urging people not to try and feed her.
He said: “The two things I’d ask is that the public only report possible sightings in the immediate area around Golf Course Road just now to save confusion.
“Most important is that they don’t try to feed the bird as that is likely to cause her more harm than good.”
Anyone who thinks they have made a sighting is urged to contact Alex without delay.
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