Identify Owls of the US - A Who's Who of Owls, Owl Calls, Identification, and Cultural Sigificance
99Nocturnal Predators and Rodent Control
Owls are those nocturnal, mysterious denizens of the night, sometimes heard but rarely seen. Owls have been anthropomorphised as being wise and associated with wisdom, though some cultures see owls as harbingers of death.
Owls are nocturnal predators with both eyes in front that allow greater depth perception in the darkness. Their flight is silent, due to their thick, soft edged feathers.
Owls are great for rodent control and artificial owls are often mounted on roof-tops to scare away pigeons.
Learn to identify owls in the United States by understanding thier habitat, region, the way that they look, and the way that they sound.
Owls in the Culture
- In Ancient Greece, Athene, the goddess of wisdom was depicted with an owl. The owl was viewed as a protector of Greece in war and a source of inspiration. Owls watched over trade and were embossed on coinage.
- Ancient Rome asociated owls with death and withccraft. A dead owl nailed to a door protected the inhabitants from evil.
- Celtic tradition associated owls with clairvoyance, stealth, wisdom, and change. The owl was the keeper of hidden truths.
- England looked at owls as sinister due to their nocturnal activity. Mailing an owl to a barn door was thought to ward off evil, a practice, perhaps, inherited from the Romans.
- American Indians often associated owls with death and their calls were thought, by some tribes, to be calls from the spirits of the dead. Dakota tribes saw owls as protectors of warriors.
Great Horned Owl
Owls in Modern Culture
- Owls are popular collectible figurines and seen on posters and paintings.
- In T.H. White's 1958 Arthurian novel, The Once and Future King, Merlin was depicted as keeping a pet owl. Merlin's owl also appears in the Disney feature length cartoon, The Sword in the Stone.
- The popular Harry Potter series of books features owls as messengers of the young wizards.
- Owl is a frequent character in A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh books as well as in the Disney cartoon versions of the Pooh stories. Owl is a long-winded story teller and giver of unwanted advise, living in a very comfy tree hole in the Hundred Acre Woods.
Great Horned Owl
Great Horned Owl
Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) is a large, 18 - 25" bird, the classic owl of cartoons and books. The Great horned owl is a heavy bird, heavily barred, with a large head and white patch on its throat. In flight, it has short wing beats.
In Canada, Great horned owls appear paler than in the United States and may almost be mistaken for Snowy owls.
Call is a loud, resonant, deep hooting of 3 - 8 hoots in a rhythm. Male's call 4 - 5 hoots (hoo, hoo-hoo, hoo, hoo) while females sound lower in pitch with 6 - 8 hoots (hoo, hoo-hoo, hoo-oo, hoo-oo) Young birds make cat like screams.
Common in forests, occasionally in cities. Preys on larger mammals and birds such as skunks or grouse.
Barred Owl
Barred Owl
Barred owl (Strix nebulosa) 17 - 24", is a large, fluffy owl with dark eyes, dark horizontal bars on the upper breast with dark streaks below and pale spots on the back.
Call is a rhythmic series of 8 loud hoots in 2 sets of 4 hoots. Sometimes sounds like barking. The barred owl can often sound crazed. Occasionally heard during daylight hours.
Common in Eastern and Central US, South Central Canada in forests, wooded river bottoms, and swamps.
Screech owl call
Screech Owl
The Screech Owl (Otus asio)There are 3 types of this small, 8 1/2 " owl, all yellow eyes and usually round-headed unless the tufts are lifted. Breasts with vertical streaks and dark bars. The Eastern Screech Owl is a bright, foxy red. In the Great Plains and South Texas, it is gray. A light gray version is seen in the northwestern part of its range.
Call is not a screech at all, but a tremulous, quavering whistle, descending in pitch, or a long trill - quite a pretty sound.
Barn Owl - Sound Only
Barn Owl
Barn Owl (Tyto alba) is a 15 - 20" rusty, light brown owl with a distinctive, pale, heart-shaped face. Females are darker than the males. Longer legged than most owls. It flies with shallow, slow wing beats.
Call is a raspy screech.
Range - Open country, grasslands, farms, and marshy areas. Uncommon and in decline in the Eastern and Central US; into Mexico and South America.
Short Eared Owl - No sound
Short Eared Owl
The Short Eared Owl (Asio flammeus) is 13 - 17", with a dark area around the eyes, and barely visible ear tufts. It is tawny brown with a vertically streaked breast and a black 'wrist' patch. It's erratic, bounding flight is similar to that of a Long Eared Owl.
Call is a rapid, high pitched, sneezy bark.
Range - open country, prairie, dune, fresh and slat water marsh, tundra. It nests on the ground. Nearly world-wide but not common. In North America, it breeds from the Arctic to Central US and winters in Mexico.
Short eared owl call
- Short-eared Owl - Asio flammeus - Information, Pictures, Sounds
Short-eared Owl - Asio flammeus - Information, Pictures, Sounds
Long Eared Owl and It's Call
Long Eared Owl
The Long Eared Owl (Asio otus) is 13 - 16", a slender, crow-sized owl with long, close set ear tufts that perches close to the tree trunk. Rusty brown facial disk with a large white moustashe, and heavily streaked breast and belly.
Call - a low, moaning, long "hooo" but usually quiet with an occasional cat-like whine or dog-like bark. Frequents thick woodland, thickets, conifer groves. Hunts at night over open fields.
Uncommon in Canada to South West and Scouth Central US.
Great Gray Owl - Could Not Find Sounds, but This Sure is Pretty
Great Gray Owl
The Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa) at 27" is the largest but not the heaviest of owls. It is a dusky gray, vertically striped with a round head and heavily ringed facial disk with black chin, No ear tufts. The Great Gray Owl has a relatively long tail for an owl.
Call is a deep, resonant "whoo-hoo-hoo."
Range - often hunts during the daylight and on overcast days in North Central US and South Central Canada. Occasionally further south.
Elf Owl - No Pix Only Sounds
Elf Owl
The Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi) is, at 5 - 6", a tiny owl with a very short tale and no ear tufts. The Elf Owl is brownish gray.
Call is a series of irregular churps and chattering.
Range - nocturnal, it roosts in holes and hollows in trees in Texas and the South West US.
Burrrowing Owl Video
Burrowing Owl
The Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) at 9 - 11" is a long legged ground owl with bars and spots, and a white chin stripe with no ear tufts. It flies low to the ground.
Call resembles a high pitched version of a Mourning dove or a series of chattering notes.
Range - Grasslands, prairie, farmland, and fields in South West Canada, rare on the Great Plains, winters in Florida and the South.
Saw-whet Owl
Saw-whet Owl
The Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) at 8" is a small, friendly owl with a white front streaked softly with brown, reddish brown above, no ear tufts, and a black beak. Young birds are a rich brown color, rusty brown below with a white V over the beak.
Call - Heard primarily in breeding season in late winter and early spring, a single tooting whistle repeated in a monotone up to 100 times a minute.
Range - Uncommon in forests and conifer groves in South Eastern Alaska, Canada; winters in North Eastern US to Central Mexico.
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl
The Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus or Nyctea scandiaca) at 20 - 27" is a large, dramatic looking, white owl with dark flecks on its feather tips. Rounded head and no ear tufts.Males are whiter than the more heavily streaked females and juveniles.
Call - usually silent but with a deep "hoo" when nesting.
Range - open country, grasslands, farms, and marsh, dunes, beaches, and tundra. An Arctic owl that dines on lemmings. When food is in short supply, Snowy Owls may wanter as far south as Oklahoma and Virginia.
Owl Vocalizations From the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology
Owl Sounds and Calls
- Owl Calls & Sounds - All Species
Owl Calls & Sounds - All Species - The Owl Pages
More About Owls
- Owls: Creatures of Magic and Legend.
Owls: The Stuff of Magic and Legend. The Owl, by Robert Challen de Mercer(From Charged Particles) All the forest dwellers take fright,At the silent ruler of the night.Wily hunter with steely grasp,That...
A Beginner Guide to Bird Watching
- Bird Watching - A Beginner's Guide to Bird Watching
Winter is a great time to begin birdwatching. Bird watching is an inexpensive, rewarding hobby. Next to gardening, bird watching is the second fastest growing hobby in America. With photos, videos, and links, learn the joy of birdwatching and how to
Great Horned Owl
- Great Horned Owl
Due to the fact that their ear tuffs look like horns, there is never any confusing the Great Horned Owl with any other species. This set up actually helps them to have better hearing. They have lovely...
Barns Owls as Rodent Control
- Barn Owls:Natural Rodent Control
Barn Owls are one of the best friends a small farmer has. They eat rats and mice by the dozens yet pose no real threat to most of the wildlife you want.
How to Attract Birds to Your Yard
- Back Yard Bird Sanctuary - How to Attract Birds to Your Yard
Improve your yard and property by turning it into a mini-bird sanctuary. Birdwatching is an excellent, educational pass time and benefits our environment. Attract birds to your yard with food, shelter, and a water source. Creating a back yard bird sa
Bird Watching on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Delaware
- Birdwatching Hot Spots on the Maryland, Delaware Eastern Shore
Birdwatching on Maryland and Delaware's Eastern Shore is great any time of year, but best from fall till spring. Seasoned bird watchers and new birders alike flock to several spots on the Eastern Shore to check out migratory songbirds, waterfowl, and
Photographing a Saw-whet Owl
- How to Capture a Tiny Saw-Whet Owl (and make it into a Children's Book
"I was afraid he would fly away before I could get a picture," says photographer Linda Gast. Her husband had called her to come outside and bring her camera. "I knew it was an owl, but I didn't know what...
Buy Books About Owls
 | A complete guide to the owls of the United States - clear writing for a general audience and beautiful photographs. Amazon Price: $21.15 List Price: $39.95 |
 | A childrens' guide to owls of the US for grades 3 - 7, illustrated in color pencil and watercolor. 64 pages. Amazon Price: $4.38 List Price: $7.95 |
 | For children at a 4 - 8 (year old) reading level, 32 pages with accurate detailed illustrations. Amazon Price: $4.06 List Price: $7.95 |
Novel Featuring Owls
 | A beautifully written novel about the loss of cultural heritage as a preacher attempts to understand the ways of indigenous Americans. Amazon Price: $2.74 List Price: $6.99 |
Buy the Books Mentioned in Above Article
 | The Once and Future King is White's classic Arthurian legend, the ultimate fantasy novel of Camelot, King Aurthur, and Merlin (with his pet owl) Amazon Price: $5.99 List Price: $20.00 |
 | The Book of Merlin was part of White's Arthurian saga that was published after his death. Amazon Price: $11.20 List Price: $18.95 |
 | The complete set of Winnie The Pooh stories in an illustrated, hardcover, 368 page book. Amazon Price: $9.99 List Price: $24.99 |
| The complete set of Winnie The Pooh stories in an illustrated, hardcover, 368 page book. Amazon Price: $9.99 List Price: $24.99 |
 | Disney's delightful feature length cartoon adaptation of the classic story by T.H. White. Amazon Price: $9.24 List Price: $19.99 |
So, where do you stand on owls?
Owls elecit different feelings from different people. Some love them, others find owls spooky.
See results without votingvote upvote downshareprintflag
- Useful (7)
- Funny
- Awesome (5)
- Beautiful (6)
- Interesting (2)
CommentsLoading...
Wonderful Hub - I love owls. We once had a small screech owl living in a tree hole. It was so loud some nights the dogs would bark. But it moved away - :(
I never knew that their was so much to learn and understand about owls. Very interesting!
I enjoyed all the detail in this Hub. More bird-watching hubs would be interesting. Owls almost seem like aerial cats to me - very graceful, haunting cries, can be tamed if you really work at it from when they're young, lovely creatures and of course good for rodent control.
Lovely morning read!
Your words reminded me of a neighboring roof top I could see from my seaside hotel at the Jersey shore a few years ago...the homeowners mounted an artificial owl on their roof to keep the seagulls away, and it worked. Their roof was the only flat one for blocks that wasn't coated with bird droppings and smashed clam shells!
Who knew you knew so much about owls? Of course, that was a slight play on words—albeit a bit of a bad one. But hey, what can you do? Owls are beautiful creatures, but there is something eerie about them for me. Not sure exactly what it is, but they just seem a little bit sinister.
At least I'm not alone in that. Mysterious? Magestic? Interesting? Beautiful? All those words apply. Spooky though. Very spooky. :)
drjb - thank you! I put this hub together because I was looking for information on owls, having heard a Great Horned Owl. A friend of mine said that it was a Barn Owl. So I had to check it out. I have found several sites that offer information, but not exactly what I was looking for. so I made one myself!
suziecat - I need to find out why they call a Screech Owl a Screech Owl. Their call sounds so pretty, not a screech at all. Thanks for commenting.
Mrhubman - thank you! Glad that you enjoyed it!
Robert - great idea! Actually, I should do one about hawks. They can be confusing. I am so aggravated that I could not find the call of the Great Gray Owl on youtube. I feel like I'm letting people down. I'm so glad that you stopped by. I was just thinking that I'd like to look at some of your hubs, thinking of your art stuff, but I forgot your name!
Sally - I love those fake owls. They strike me funny. Not sure why. I'd really rather have a real owl. My son lives in a neighborhood with lots of mature trees and recently saw and heard a Barrred Owl in his yard. I am so jealous! Thank you!
Springboard - I did not know nearly enough about owls so was doing some research, that's usually how I create hubs. But also, the idea of writing a hub and calling it: A Who's Who of Owls really did it, haha. The whole sinister concept was new to me. I love the sound of owls at night. Owls are our friends. They eat rats. Maybe if those silly fools back in the day didn't kill so many owls, they would have avoided the Black Death. No owls to eat up the rats that hosted the plague infested fleas! Thanks for the comment!
Hoot, Hoot!
Dolores, I love you! I have been a tytophile for 25 years and to read your brilliant hub on my favourite creatures on the planet(including humans)was undescribable. I have a barking owl living somewhere near my home, and listen for her every night. Have you ever visited http://www.owlpages.com - a must for every tytophile. Off to dust my owl collection... Again, thanks for the great hub!
Loria - well a Big Hoot to you as well, you award winning writer you!!! Thanks for stopping by!
Trans - thank you, dear, you are so kind! Thanks for the link, must check it out. You are so fortunate to be able to hear those magical night sounds. Something about hearing an owl feels so special, like an honor.
Really lovely Dolores. Owls have always been one of my spirit guides. I love all the in depth information and the video calls. I think I am going to put my computer speaker out my window and see who I can bring in to the yard!
Once, at my wife's family reunion in Pennyslyvania, I was up late hanging out with my brother in law in the mountains. I kept telling this owl joke which was pretty funny (can't recall it now though, sorry) and the punch line of course was "who who who". Anyway, after repeating this joke a few times, maybe twenty minutes later a giant owl (maybe a gray or barred) came swooping down and picked up some critter right in front of us, a wonderful moment in time!
Great article, owls are beautiful!
Ben
How absolutely lovely - I've been so fortunate to see 3 in my lifetime thus far...one swooped me while I was playing old lady soccer on a dark night when we were playing under the lights; I saw one sitting on a fence post in broad daylight a year or so ago on a snowy day - and then one night just at dusk, we were driving past a beautiful old fir tree and there he was - right beside us in the car. It was fantastic! What I would have given for my camera. Splendid hub! I love birds anyhow but I adore owls.
Thanks Dolores for this very informative hub. I saw my first snowy owl ever in the southern Catskills last winter--it was magnificent. Do you know Margaret Craven's beautiful novel about the Kwakuitl Indians of British Columbia--I Heard the Owl Call My Name?
Aren't owls amazing fellows. Did you ever see them turn their heads ? And they seem to have all the wisdom of this world for themselves. Thank you for this hub, Dolores.
My, these birds are really something. I am very impressed by the number of different species there are of owls. Great hub, Dolores. I enjoyed reading this.
I just ran into a barn owl last month... he was sitting on a branch watching me tearing down a trail... I said hello and he said something back in owl.
Great post!
Ben - thanks for dropping in! I wish I had been able to find all the calls, but could not locate the Great Grey Owl. Sounds like a magic moment, both funny and wonderful.
Akirchner - There is something very peculiar about the flat-faced look of owls when they fly. Less like a bird of prey than one would expect. I love to hear owls and would love to hear one near my home. I may have, one dawn, awakened from sleep by the strangest sound. May have been a Barred owl but I can't be sure. Thanks!
Richard - I remember, I think, seeing a movie adaptation of that novel. Think I may offer an Amazon link to it. Thanks for the suggestion!
Ellen - I have only actually seen an owl twice, in dim twilight where it's hard to tell what you are actually seeing. Thanks!
Thank you, Cheeky Girl. Now I want to go on one of those owl walks that the local bird club offers. My sister lives in a semi-rural area and we occasionally hear owls there, usually a Great Horned Owl.
carolina - I saw a Barn Owl once, many long years ago. What a thrill! They sure make an unpleasant sound. Thanks for stopping in!
I love and adore Owls, Owls of the US a Who's Who is a must share. I'd be so happy to be apart of anything to help the Owl population. I'm just amazed and awed by Owls.
This was really fun to read. I had always been aware of the harbinger of death as well as the wise old owl associations, but I loved the children's book references too! I think the long eared owl might scare the heck out of one at night!
Very interesting article and the clips were a sweet bonus. Vocals were fun ,too. I learned from your range info why I have never seen a white owl.Rate up!
katie - me too! Especially I love to hear an owl. Hopefully now that I've created this hub, I will be better able to ID what I hear. Thanks!
tracy - when I first moved in to my new home at age of 3 ( my mother had everything in place and my aunt was bringing me to the new home) I heard a sound. 'What was that?' I asked my aunt. She sounded a bit nervous when she said that it was 'only a hooty owl.' I think she thought the sound would scare me, but I still remember the thrill of it. Thank you for stopping by!
bayoulady - thank you very much! I was amazed when last year, a Snowy Owl was seen on Assateague Island either in Maryland or Virginia and wish I had gotten down to see it. But the photos were so cool of the Snowy Owl in the sand dunes.
What a wonderfully informative hub, I know this has been said before, but it's true. You obviously put a lot of time and effort into this piece and it shows. My grandmother used to collect memorabilia of owls, and after reading this article I can tell why, what a captivating creature and a wonderful conglomeration.
Thank you, Bohemian. I've seen a lot of people with owl figurines. Thanks!
Birds of Prey are on my list of favorites and what an amazing article this is with all the videos etc. Love it!
Cool hub. We have barn owls in South Africa as well. Owls are really fun to watch and listen to. Thanx for the info.
This is so beautiful. I thank you for doing all the work and putting this amazing hub together. I do love owls - they fascinate me.
Thanks for the information about Athene too.
Rated way up.
Lindsay - I was thinking of making a hub about hawks as well. They can be so confusing and look so much alike! Thank you!
Skoenlapper - Barn Owls are so beautiful aren't they? But they make the most obnoxious sound! Thanks for leaving a comment.
BK - thank you very much! The trouble with using a lot of videos is that it does take a lot of time. YOutube can be so addicting!
Thank you Dolores for this informative, and obviously heart felt article. Predatory birds such as the owl are a treasured gift, they've been with us since our beginnings.
Where i lived in rural Alabama, at night my wife and I would sit out on the patio. Those screeches and hoots I'd hear, seem to come from three distinct birds but unfortunately i never identified them. We loved the night sounds.
Thanks again, :] voted 'Up' Peace Dolores
Hoo - hooo!
gg - I just spent a couple days in the 'country' but heard not one owl. What a joy to hear that hoot in the night. Thank you very much!
We're all hooting over this hub! WE have lots of owls in Oklahoma and they steal our chickens. and eat them. We can't kill them, they're endangered here.
sigh.
Course, I wouldn't want to kill them anyway, but leave my chickens alone.
good info here, love the pics and video, thanks!
mari - they steal your chickens? If they are endangered, it would seem as if there are not a lot of owls, hence the endangered status. An endangered species is one that is in limited supply. Animals that are common are not endangered. So if there are not many owls, can't be a whole lot of owls eating the chickens. But I'm sure you don't want any chickens eaten by owls at all. Maybe something else is eating the chickens. hmmmm.
Fascinating hub on owls Dolores, and I didn't realise that you had so many owl species in the US? Owls are getting rarer in the UK as there habitat is being taken over and adapted.
CMHypno - I am sorry that I could not find videos that featured some of the owl sounds. I spent a lot of time on youtube but...Well it's a big country over here across the pond. I was shocked a few years ago when a snowy owl showed up in my state, but learned that they often come south. What a sight. I wish I would have seen it.
In a lot of places, wildlife has moved into the suburbs. Birds like owls and hawks find good pickings and hunt vermin. A welcome addition! My son lives in a busy DC suburb and has seen 2 different owls in his little yard. Thank you!
i enjoyed this very much, and I have given some shool programs about owls. They are a subject of great fascination.
Thank you, Rochelle! I am sorry that I could not present all the actual sounds on video, but they are available on audios. Sometimes the only way to ID an owl is through sound as we don't often actually see them.
i'm NUTS about owls and enjoyed this hub very much. I wrote a hub poem about the owls main job - hunting in one of my first hubs. this was a wonderful piece and my kitty and i enjoyed listening to the owl voices and calls. thanks lvh
writinginalaska - thank you! Ha ha, glad that your cat enjoyed it. I've played animal sounds for my cat and his biggest response is to the sound of other cats.
I have always been facinated by owls, beautiful birds - always reminded me of my cats for some reason. You have a ton of good info here, I will be back to read more. Thanks for sharing!
Hi, carco - thank you. I was so upset when I could not find the vocalizations for some of the owls. I must look again. I love to hear owls. Don't hear them much where I live.
Owls are so cool we have 2 that visit and hoot and hunt right in our front yard I love it when it's real quiet and then all of a sudden a night is full of sounds you know the owl or owl's are around you even hear the squirrels calling back and forth they know they are in danger and warn the neiborhood
crwoodson - thank you. Yes, I love to hear owls. Somehow, they sound magical to me. I really need to find more owl calls on here as not all were available when I made this one.
Very well reserched Hub on owls. It was a great reading and I am really amused that how same creature can mean different things in different cultures. As you mentioned owl is symbol of wisdom in west, but in India and other neighbouring countries it is symbol of follishness and we would refer a follish person as owl.
We moved into our new house two months ago. Every other night I hear an owl on our roof. It gets pretty loud inside the house because I think he sits on top of chimney. Several times I found feathers, pieces of bones, and chunks of small birds on my deck which I have to clean up before my toddler can go play outside. I'm starting to think I need to do something to keep owl away (besides, all those stories about bad omens and death are starting to spook me a bit). Opinions?
Alex - I can see how the noise might bother some people, but I'd be thrilled to hear an owl around here. Since they eat mice and rats, they are very helpful neighbors. Maybe it's better to have the owl than the vermin! Good luck! (You could always bang on the chimney, or go outside and yell so the owl moves to another spot)
Thanks Dolores. We really like the sound he (or she) makes. That doesn't bother us since we can't hear it from our bedroom. The main annoyance is the cleaning of dead bird pieces, but you're right about them being helpful. We'll see how it goes.
Hi Dolores, I loved reading this article. We have Barn Owls in England and was looked after one when I worked at a Falconry Centre. They're such amazing birds, and they make no sound whatsoever when they fly. Voted up and shared.
Jkenny - I've only seen one in the wild once and it was sure beautiful. Thank you for commenting.
loved hearing the barred owl hoots. Like Jkenny I've also cared for a barn owl which we trained to fly to the fist. I've always thought the barn owl shriek was a bit of a disappointment though.
Nettlemere - I love that sound too. Disappointment? I think it sounds rather frightening! Thanks!
I spent years thinking I was maybe not hearing it properly, or that the barn owl's had another call they used when I wasn't there because I always thought it's not frightening it's just the barn owls. A crowd of people hooting, on the other hand, would scare me!
It's that scratchy shriek I don't really like. I love to hear the GH owl, though, the classic owl sound and a screech owl's call is so beautiful. Not to offend the lovely barn owl.
Wonderful hub! I love the collection of owl videos with sounds. My favorite is the burrowing owl with the way he turns his head upside down to get a better look! I thought the snowy owl video was interesting too, the way the male owl brings lemmings to the female to feed to the young.
Dubuque - thank you! I recently had the opportunity to hear 2 screech owls trilling along a stream, establishing territory before nesting. What a beautiful sound!
drbj Level 8 Commenter 21 months ago
Thanks to you, Dolores, and this incredibly informative hub, I now consider myself an owl semi-maven. I now know far, far more about owls than I did before, which was zilch. Thank you for the hub and the great videos. :)