Bam owl Tyto alba at the east of Rostov Region

The article presents a brief history of the settlement and chronology of registrations of the bam owl Tyto alba Scopoli, 1769 in different regions of the south of European Russia since the beginning of the 21st century. Information is provided on the finds of two individuals of the bam owl in Rostov Region. The first individual, which died of an unknown cause, was found on 22 September 2024 in the Orlovskiy District on the outskirts of the village ofVolochaevskiy (46°32'45.18" N, 42°38'11.36" E). The remains of the second individual were discovered on 9 January 2025 among the food items of the eagle owl Bubo bubo (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Dubovskoe District near the Tyulpanny farm (47°13'25.00"N, 43°18'14.67"E). Measurements and description of the finds were carried out in office conditions. The study of the plumage was carried out using an ultraviolet lamp with a main wavelength of ~365 nm with a nominal power of 20 W. Under ultraviolet light, only the first individual showed a contrast between two generations of flight and covert feathers, reflecting the stage and sequence of their replacement. In appearance, this individual resembles the subspecies Tyto alba guttata (C.L. Brehm, 1831), and in terms of the stage of plumage change, the bird was at least two years old at the time of its death. Climatic, ecological and anthropogenic prerequisites for the expansion of the bam owl’s range deep into the steppe zone are discussed. Factors and possible ways of the bam owls appearance in Rostov Region, as well as directions for further dispersal, are considered. The planning of special events to clarify the status of stay and study of the bam owl in Rostov Region is substantiated.