Errol

Errol
Physical information
Species	Owl
Gender	Male
Feathers	Grey
Affiliation
Loyalty	Weasley family (owners)

"That bloody bird's a menace!"

— Ron Weasley

Errol is one of the Weasley family's owls. He is a Great Grey Owl, or Strix nebulosa, and was described by Harry Potter as resembling a moulting feather duster. Errol is also described as ancient, and as such his poor eyesight causes him to hit objects in flight. Errol delivers Harry's first birthday present from Ron before his third year at Hogwarts. He loses consciousness during both long and short journeys. He often stays with Harry's owl Hedwig to regain consciousness when he delivers messages to him.

Ron often calls Errol a "bloody bird," "ruddy bird," or a "menace."

File:PA C1.jpg

Errol with Hedwig and a Hogwarts owl

Etymology

Errol is a village in Scotland, near Perth, which may have served as inspiration for the name of the Weasley family owl.

It is also the name of a dragon in an early Terry Pratchett novel that flies into windows and has the tendency to explode.

It is also possible that his name refers to "error" (as the two words are similar), because of the bird's age and known characteristics.

Behind the scenes

• Errol appears in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, as he bumps into the kitchen window at The Burrow. Later in the film, he lands in a bowl of crisps in the Great Hall in Hogwarts when delivering Ron a Howler from his mother. It is later mentioned that he was used by Ron to deliver Hagrid's release papers. Due to the fact that Errol got lost, Hagrid's release from prison was delayed.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film) (Flashback on Disc 2)
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4