Meet the Owls of North America—and Learn a Fun Fact For Each

Owls are awesome. They capture our imagination like no other bird family, and it's easy to see why. Luckily, we have 19 different owl species in North America to admire. Many are common and can be found across broad swaths of the United States, while others, like the Northern Hawk Owl, are only occasional visitors south. 

Although owls are often associated with woodlands and the night, not all species are nocturnal or reside exclusively in forests. Burrowing Owls, for example, are most active in day and can be found in deserts and other open spaces. Meanwhile, Short-eared Owls prefer dusk and can readily be found hunting above marshes and grasslands. In short, owls are everywhere, and there are more opportunities to see them than you might realize. So get to know the owls below, and if you're feeling inspired, go try to find one. 
 

Barred Owl

Key field marks: Large and round, Barred Owls are named for the brown horizontal striping on their white throats and upper breast. 

Fun fact:  Barred Owls mate for life, and a calling pair can easily be recognized by their trademark call carrying through the eastern woods: who cooks for you, who cooks for you, all? 

Great Horned Owl 

Key field marks: One of our largest North American owls, the multi-colored Great Horned might also be our most recognizable thanks to its two giant ear tufts—the horns—atop its head. 

Fun fact: Great Horned Owls are one of our earliest nesters, mating and laying eggs in the middle of winter. This allows adults more time for chick rearing and for young owls to learn to hunt a wide variety of prey. 

American Barn Owl 

Key field marks: This medium-sized bird's white belly and face, brown back and wings, and heart-shaped facial disc—a feature that improves hearing by directing sound waves—give it an appearance unlike any other North American owl. 

Fun fact: The element of surprise is important when hunting, and American Barn Owls are virtually silent in flight thanks to the specialized shape and texture of their feathers. 

Eastern Screech-Owl 

Key field marks: The Eastern Screech-Owl is a smaller owl with two tiny ear tufts and a mottled, bark-like plumage pattern that comes in three morphs, or colors: brown, gray, and red (rufous). 

Fun fact: Despite their name, screech-owls don't screech at all. They also don't really hoot. Instead, these  compact owls vocalize with soft trills and horse-like whinnies. (Visit the bird guide page below for audio.)  

Western Screech-Owl 

Key field marks:  Strikingly similar in appearance to its eastern counterpart, the Western Screech-Owl features a much darker beak compared with the lighter, yellow-ish beak of the Eastern.  

Fun fact: Screech-owls catch blind snakes, a type of worm-like reptile, to feed their chicks. But instead of killing them right away, as is typical, they bring the snakes back alive. Any that escape being eaten live in the nest and feed on insect larvae and parasites that could harm the chicks. 

Whiskered Screech-Owl

Key field marks: Though they can be tough to spot, whiskery feathers, called rictal bristles, around the beak help distinguish this southwest specialty from the Western Screech-Owl, which can be found in much of the same range. 

Fun fact: Continuing with surprising screech-owl sounds, the Whiskered forgoes trills and whinnies for a rapid-fire series of toots that is often compared to Morse code.  (Visit the bird guide page below for audio.)  

Burrowing Owl 

Key field marks: Most active during the day, these small brown-and-white sentinels with round heads stand on long, spindly legs as they watch over their burrows with golden eyes. 

Fun fact: Along with coos, chips, and various other noises, Burrowing Owls make a hissing sound that is believed to mimic the sound of a rattlesnake to ward off potential predators. 

Snowy Owl 

Key field marks: With fluffy white feathers all the way down to their feet, Snowy Owls are large, yellow-eyed denizen of the Arctic tundra during summer months and found throughout Canada and, occasionally, northern states during winter. 

Fun fact: When Snowy Owls have particularly good breeding seasons, young Snowies can irrupt the following winter, leading to an influx throughout the Lower 48 and birds appearing everywhere from busy cities to beaches.  

Northern Saw-whet Owl 

Key field marks: All owls have wide eyes, but the tiny Northern Saw-whet often looks almost startled, with big yellow eyes set in a round, speckled, tuftless head. A pale, cat-like face gives this bird personality. 

Fun fact:  The Northern Saw-whet Owl long duped scientists into thinking it was non-migratory and rare in the United States, but as it turns out, the birds are just extremely stealthy and migrating populations do so at night.

Short-eared Owl 

Key field marks:  If you see a medium-sized bird hunting over a field on a winter evening, it may just be a Short-eared, whose bold, heart-shaped face and brown breast streaks are a more reliable ID clue than its often hidden tufts. 

Fun fact: Short-eared Owls, who prefer crepuscular hours, and Northern Harriers, who hunt during the day, often search for prey in the same open spaces. When the two species overlap at dusk, there can be clashes. 

Long-eared Owl

Key field marks:  Think of this bird as a trimmer, slightly shorter version of Great Horned Owl, with the key difference being stripes instead of bars on the belly and strong black markings around their eyes.  

Fun fact: As with most other owls, Long-eared Owls have asymmetrical ear holes that allow for greater hearing. But even by owl standards, these birds are adept hunters, capable of snagging prey in total darkness. 

Great Gray Owl 

Key  field marks: The largest owl in North America, the Great Gray Owl is hard to mistake with its ashy-brown plumage and large, ringed facial disc, but despite its size, the bird long eluded researchers. 

Fun fact: Almost all owls have eyes that are proportionately large to their heads for increased visibility during low-light hours, but the Great Gray Owl's peepers are especially big—roughly the size of an adult human's eyes.

Elf Owl 

Key  field marks: About the size of a soda can, the Elf Owl is the smallest owl in the world and is mostly brown with some light streaking on its breast, prominent white eyebrows, and no ear tufts. 

Fun fact: Don't let this bird's size or name fool you: Elf Owls are fierce hunters, venturing out from their cavities at night to snag everything from beetles and crickets to mice and even scorpions. 

Northern Pygmy-Owl 

Key field marks: Lacking the typical facial disc of an owl, this robin-sized species is mostly brown and white with a tuftless head, speckled face, and piercing yellow eyes. 

Fun fact: Largely diurnal, these tiny birds are talented hunters and often prey on songbirds—which will gang up on, or mob, the raptor if they spot one sitting motionless on a perch waiting to strike. 

Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl

Key field marks: Warm, cinnamon-colored plumage differentiates this bird from its northern cousin, but its size, markings, and hunting tendencies are largely the same. 

Fun fact: As with other pygmy-owls, the Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl has two dark spots on the back of its head. Researchers believe these "false eyes" help deter songbirds from mobbing the owls to drive them away.  

Spotted Owl 

Key field marks:  This medium-sized owl looks similar to the beefy Barred Owl, but its slightly smaller stature and white spotting on the breast, rather than bars or streaks, are the main differences. 

Fun fact: The Spotted Owl is divided into three subspecies across its fragmented western range: the Northern Spotted Owl, the California Spotted Owl, and the Mexican Spotted Owl. 

Flammulated Owl 

Key field marks: Rusty patches amid splotches of brown and gray plumage inspired this raptor's fiery name—while also giving it superb camouflage across the western pine forests it calls home. 

Fun fact: Close in size to the diminutive pygmy-owls and saw-whets, the Flammulated Owl is our only small North American owl with dark eyes. 

Boreal Owl 

Key field marks: Sporting the same general shape and speckled head as a saw-whet, this owl of northern forests is a bit bigger and grayer, with a bold black line around its pale face. 

Fun fact: Boreal Owls show the most extreme sexual dimorphism of any North American owl species, with females weighing up to  twice as much as males. 

Northern Hawk Owl 

Key field marks:  A long, pointed tail and penchant for perching atop trees give this diurnal owl of the boreal a distinctly hawk-like vibe. But the bird's squat profile and round face, flanked by two dark crescents, are pure owl. 

Fun fact: While the Northern Hawk Owl might be a rare visitor to the Lower 48, its range covers most of Canada and extends throughout much of Alaska.