This is the moment that an enormous bird of prey launched itself from a roof onto a birdwatcher 's head . The rogue European eagle owl has been terrorising the Dutch town of Noordeinde for months and is believed to be behind a spate of vicious attacks . Locals have been advised to arm themselves with umbrellas against the bird , as hoards of twitchers have flocked to the Netherlands hoping to catch a sighting of the impressive bird . Scroll down for video . The enormous bird of prey targeted the blonde-haired woman after launching itself from the roof of a nearby house . Bird brain : The European eagle owl spent around one minute perched on the woman 's head , before flying off looking for its next perch . In the most recent incident , the bird was caught on camera showing off its wingspan as it soared from the roof of a house . A woman , who had been observing the creature , barely had time to pull her hood up before the eagle-owl swooped on her head . The wild owl , which weighs around 6lbs , spent around one minute perched her the head , before flying off looking for its next perch . Residents in the town think that it might have escaped from an aviary and has learnt to associate humans with food . ' I have seen photographers and birders from around the country , from The Hague to Spijkenisse , they come from everywhere to see the eagle owl . Our village is finally on the map , ' one local is reported to have said . Menno Shaefer is one of a number of photographers who has paid a visit to the town after hearing about the owl 's unusual behaviour . The 48-year-old , of Zaandam , Netherlands , said : ' I had heard a lot about the owl and decided to visit the site to see it in action for myself . 'It was a very funny thing to watch , however I 'm just as confused as anyone as to why it does this . ' The rogue owl has been terrorising the Dutch town of Noordeinde for months and is believed to be behind a spate of vicious attacks . The appearance has seen twitchers flock to the town hoping to catch a sighting of the bird . The European eagle-owl is one of the largest species of owls , and females can grow to a maximum total wingspan of 75cm . The wild owl , which weighs around 6lbs , spends an average of one minute perched on the head of innocent bystanders , before flying off looking for the next perch . The European eagle owl is one of the largest species of owl , and females can grow to a maximum total wingspan of 75 cm . The bird is found in a number of habitats but mostly lives in mountain regions , coniferous forests , steppes and other relatively remote places . Unusual : Photographer Menno Scheefer travelled 68km to the northern Netherlands town of Noordeinde to photograph the own , after hearing about its strange behaviour . Perched : The European eagle owl enjoys swooping on unsuspecting walkers - and standing on their heads .
European eagle - owl is on camera perched on birdwatcher 's nest . Large bird has been visiting Dutch town of Noordeinde for months . tourists have flocked to the town hoping to avoid sighting of bird .