Habichtskauz
The best known aspect of interspecific interactions with other owls and assorted other predators is interspecific predations. The Ural owl is at times vulnerable to predation by larger predators when encounters occur. Undoubtedly, the most dangerous predator is likely the Eurasian eagle-owl. Other predators known to prey upon Ural owls have included golden eagles ("Aquila chrysaetos"), eastern imperial eagle ("Aquila heliaca"), mountain hawk-eagle ("Nisaetus nipalensis") and Eurasian lynx ("Lynx lynx") as well as diurnal raptors that are only slightly larger, including the northern goshawk and lesser spotted eagle ("Clanga pomarina"). In most cases mentioned above, the age of the Ural owl taken by the predators are not usually specified (although any of the first three large eagles are certainly capable of striking down Ural owls potentially of any age). In some cases, goshawks have been known to kill parent Ural owls apparently entirely out of competition (despite different main food sources) and lay their eggs on a nest still containing the owls’ eggs. Predators specifically noted to have taken young Ural owls, usually of around fledgling age or shortly post-dispersal (especially those used in reintroductions) have additionally included red foxes ("Vulpes vulpes"), European pine martens ("Martes martes") and great grey owls. In Primorsky Krai, Asian badgers ("Meles leucurus") and raccoon dogs ("Nyctereutes procyonoides") are mentioned as potential or likely predators of Ural owls nests as well. In one recorded instance, a Ural owl that was observed seemingly trying to prey upon a non-native American mink ("Neovison vison") was seen to lose the confrontation when the mink turned the tables, having apparently overpowered, killed and ate the owl. Although predation events upon Ural owls are widely reported, the relative number of incidents of such are very low and singular. South of the Arctic, it can be considered to rival the great grey owl as the owl species that is second least vulnerable to predation, behind the apex predator eagle-owls. The Ural owl is itself a fairly formidable predator of smaller owl species, although not as prolific a killer as are eagle-owls and northern goshawks. Among the owls Ural owls have been known to have preyed upon are Indian scops owl ("Otus lettia"), collared scops owl ("Otus bakkamoena"), northern hawk-owls, tawny owls, Eurasian pygmy owls, boreal owls and long-eared owls. Diurnal raptors are also sometimes vulnerable to predation by Ural owls, including grey-faced buzzards ("Butastur indicus"), Eurasian sparrowhawk ("Accipiter nisus"), common kestrel ("Falco tinniculus") and even apparent adult northern goshawks. Thus the Ural owl, coupled with a very low known rate of natural predations, appears to occupy a similar position in the intraguild predatory hierarchy as the goshawk. In Finland, both smaller owls and diurnal raptors such as sparrowhawks and even buzzards appear to avoid nesting near Ural owls. In addition, Ural owls are known to have successfully have chased off actively nesting goshawks as well as European honey buzzards ("Pernis apivorus"), common buzzards ("Buteo buteo") and black kites ("Milvus migrans") in order to claim the nests for themselves. Despite their potential predation on smaller mesopredators, when nest boxes for European pied flycatchers ("Ficedula hypoleuca") were experimentally placed in the area of Ural owl nests, productivity lowered, and it is possibly because mesopredators were often attracted to the corresponding food base of the owls. On the contrary, experimental ground nests put out by researchers with random poultry eggs in central Finland were shown to be incidentally protected by the fierce presence of Ural Owls. In the Finnish ground placed almost directly under the Ural nest none at all were preyed upon, while in those placed away, 8.3% were predated, and those within experienced an average predation rate of 58.3%. At a great distance, at all ground nests were predated.