Great Grey Owl (Wings of the World by Safari Ltd.)

The great grey owl (Strix nebulosa) is a symbol of the vast northern wilderness that it ranges across, where it inhabits coniferous forests of the taiga around the entire Northern Hemisphere. As such it has many provocative nicknames including Phantom of the North, Lapland owl, and spectral owl. So far, this large, impressive, and powerful owl has been largely ignored by toy companies. I’m only aware of two figures representing it, a now retired figure from Bullyland and one from Naturalism, a Chinese company. But when it comes to giving us some much-needed diversity Safari has had an excellent year so far and is continuing their streak by adding the great grey owl to their outstanding Wings of the World line. Let’s take a closer look.

The Safari great grey owl is posed in a standing position looking rightward and measures about 2.75” (6.985 cm) long and stands 1.5” (3.81 cm) tall. The actual great grey owl is said to be the largest owl by length, measuring between 24-33” (61-84 cm) long and possessing a 5’ (152 cm) wingspan. But looks can be deceiving. The great grey owl is actually just a ball of feathers, only weighing 1.28 to 4.19 lbs. (580 to 1,900 g). It’s outweighed by “smaller” species such as the snowy, great horned, and Eurasian eagle-owl.

Scaled down from an average length of 28” (72 cm) the Safari figure is roughly 1/10 in scale. I personally would have preferred it if this figure was a bit larger because it’s as big as or smaller than most of Safari’s other owls. It seems to display well with them though and certainly matches their style.

This figure shares the hallmark features of the actual great grey owl. This includes a large facial disc which in life acts like a radar dish, channeling sounds. This is especially useful for the great grey owl as it allows it to detect prey moving about under blankets of snow up to 17” (45 cm) deep. Great grey owls specialize in small prey such as voles, lemmings, chipmunks, mice, pocket gophers and other small mammals.

The zygodactyl feet (two toes forward, two back) are feathery with black talons. The anatomy of the feet is important to mention since the retired Bullyland great grey owl does not get this feature correct, instead giving their owl generic raptor talons. Ideally the bottoms of this owl’s feet would be yellow and scaly but each foot measures half an inch and you’re probably not looking at their bottoms often.

Coloration and distinct markings ensure that this owl cannot be mistaken for any other species. Two white arcs create an “X” between the eyes while an additional white marking below the beak creates a
“bowtie” pattern with a black center. Additional brown markings on the face mimic the concentric markings on the actual owl’s face. The body is silvery grey with brown streaks. The eyes are yellow with a shiny lifelike finish, and the beak is dull orange. A yellow beak would have been preferable, but this is close enough.

As usual, I am impressed with the fine detail and paint application afforded to such a diminutive figure. If you collect Safari’s owls or Wings of the World series, then you should find this one a welcomed addition to your collection. Since this is a standard size figure of an uncommonly made species it should have wide appeal among collectors and it certainly has my stamp of approval, for whatever that is worth. The Safari great grey owl is not available yet but will be shortly on Safari’s website. It will retail for $7.99.

Lastly, I would like to extend my gratitude towards Safari Ltd. for kindly sending along this figure as a review sample.