Counting Territories: teacher key

Eurasian Eagle-Owls, grade 9 edition, written for 9th grade. Eagle-owls hide well, so scientists learn about them from pellets, trackers and territory counts. Studies show where they live, what they eat and how their numbers have changed.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. What did the southeastern France pellet study find?
   • The pellets showed a broad dietary range (answer)
   • The owls ate only fish
   • The owls ate no animals
2. What does a researcher count as a successful pair?
   • One with a nest in a tree
   • One with four eggs
   • One that raised at least one young to 50 to 60 days (answer)
3. How many territories did researchers monitor in south-eastern Spain between 2006 and 2012?
   • 72 (answer)
   • 7
   • 720
4. As of November 2026, what does the Peregrine Fund say about European numbers?
   • Recovering but not back to earlier levels (answer)
   • Higher than ever before
   • Gone from Europe
5. Pellets show a broad dietary range. What does that suggest about the eagle-owl?
   • It is a generalist predator (answer)
   • It eats only one animal
   • It never hunts
6. When are eagle-owl young independent, according to a zoo raptor group?
   • At 150 to 160 days (answer)
   • At 15 days
   • At 5 years

Words

• generalist: eats many kinds
• elusive: hard to find
• territory: an animal's area
• pellets: coughed-up balls