Our guide, Takeyoshi Matsuo took us to a day-roost to see this uncommon, mostly nocturnal owl. This species prefers old-growth forest across Eurasia from Scandinavia to Japan. Three races are recognized in Japan with birds breeding in Hokkaido assigned to S. u. japonica which averages larger, paler and less brown than the others. The white spots bordering its facial disk, broad white streaking on its back, and mostly white belly are all characters of this distinctive race. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS.
References:
Brazil, M. (2009). Birds of East Asia. Princeton Univ. Press.
Holt, D.W., Berkley, R., Deppe, C., Enríquez Rocha, P., Petersen, J.L., Rangel Salazar, J.L., Segars, K.P., Wood, K.L. & Marks, J.S. (2017). Ural Owl (Strix uralensis). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/55042 on 26 June 2017).