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 caught on camera perched on birdwatcher's head . Large bird has been terrorising Dutch town of Noordeinde for months . Twitchers have flocked to the town hoping to catch sighting of bird .