Eurasian collared dove
The second most important prey group behind mammals (albeit considerably behind) is birds. Birds are also the most diverse prey group in the Ural owl’s diet, with well over 100 avian prey species recorded. Birds usually compromise less than 10% of the dietary intake by number in studies from Europe. Exceptionally high numbers, relatively speaking, were reported in Fennoscandia, especially when vole numbers go down. In bad vole years in Finland, of 860 prey items, 32.2% by number and 40.25% by biomass were birds. In particular, thrushes of the "Turdus" genus were the most reported prey genera in these years, averaging 19.4% by number and 23.6% of the biomass. In Värmland County, Sweden, birds amounted to 25.6% of the prey by number and 32.67% of the biomass. A wide diversity of birds were reported, thrushes being again the most often identified. For central and southern Europe, the reintroduced population of the Bavarian Forest of Germany may show the highest results for birds at merely 11.1%. However, in the diet study within in the city of Košice, Slovakia, urban-adapted Ural owls were found to be relying almost solely on pigeons and doves for foods, namely the Eurasian collared dove ("Streptopelia decaocto") and the rock pigeon ("Columba livia") which constituted 76.7% and 13.4% of the contents of 16 pellets, respectively. In Russia, birds were far more significant overall in the Urals over other known studies, amounting to 17.01% of the 870 total prey items across different years and 47.6% among 146 prey items more locally near towns and villages in Perm Krai. In Japan, birds are somewhat more prominent in the diet of Ural owls compared to European data, usually compromising over 10% of the foods. The most birds reported in the diet of Japanese Ural owls were from 36 pellets found in Sakaide, Kagawa, which mainly comprised small birds, in particular the Eurasian tree sparrow ("Passer montanus") (at 78.6% by number) and the white-cheeked starling ("Spodiopsar cineraceus") (3.6%).