Field Guide Barred Owl Barn Owl Snowy Owl Saw Whet Owl Screech Owl Long Eared Owl

Barred Owl (Strix Varia) 4 Description: 20" (51 cm). W. 3' 8" (1.1 m). A large, stocky, dark-eyed owl. Gray-brown, with crossbarring on neck and breast and streaks on belly; no ear tufts.

4 Habitat: Low, wet woods and swampy forests. 4 Nesting: 2-4 white eggs in an unlined cavity in a hollow tree; sometimes in an old crow's nest. 4

Barn Owl 4 Description 18" (46 cm). W. 3' 8" (1.1 m). Crow-sized. Buff-brown above and white below, with heart-shaped face and numerous fine dark dots on white underparts; dark eyes, long legs.

Tyto Alba 4 Habitat Open country, forest edges and clearings, cultivated areas, and cities. 4 Nesting 5-10 white eggs on bare wood or stone in buildings, hollow trees, caves, or even in burrows.

Barn Owl 4 Range Resident from southern British Columbia, Dakotas, Michigan, and southern New England southward. Also in South America and Old World

Snowy Owl 4 Description 24" (61 cm). W. 4' 7" (1.4 m). A big, round- headed owl, ranging in color from pure white to white with dark spotting or barring. Female is larger and more heavily marked than male.

Nyctea Scandiaca 4 Habitat Open country: tundra, dunes, marshes, fields, plains, and airports in winter. 4 Nesting 5-8 white eggs with a lining of feathers, mosses, and lichens placed on open tundra.

Snowy Owl 4 Range Breeds in northern Alaska and in northernmost Canada. Winters south throughout Canada into northern United States, irregularly farther. Also in Eurasia.

Saw Whet Owl 4 Description 7" (18 cm). A very small, earless, yellow-eyed owl; brown above, with white streaks on forehead, dark bill, and short tail. Juveniles are chocolate-brown above, buff below, with white triangle on forehead extending between eyes. See Boreal Owl.

Aegolius Acadicus 4 Habitat Coniferous woodlands; in winter also in evergreen thickets in parks, gardens, and estates; also isolated pines. 4 Nesting 5 or 6 white eggs placed without a nest lining in a deserted woodpecker hole or natural cavity.

Saw Whet Owl 4 Range Breeds from southeastern Alaska, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia south to southern California, Arizona, Illinois, North Carolina (in mountains), and Connecticut. Winters in breeding range and south to Arkansas and North Carolina.

Western Screech-Owl 4 Description 7-10" (18-25 cm). A small, mottled gray owl with ear tufts. Eastern Screech- Owl (Otus asio) of East overlaps with Western in small part of western Texas; gray phase of Eastern almost identical to Western but has different call: a tremulous descending wail. See also Whiskered Screech-Owl.

Otus Kennicottii 4 Habitat Woodlands, orchards, yards with many trees. 4 Nesting 4 or 5 white eggs in a natural cavity, a woodpecker's hole, or even a man- made nest box.

Western Screech-Owl 4 Range Resident from southeastern Alaska and British Columbia southward into Mexico and east throughout U.S. Rockies.

Long-eared Owl 4 Description 15" (38 cm). W. 3' 3" (1 m). A nearly crow-sized owl with long ear tufts set close together. Heavily mottled brown; chestnut facial disks.

Asio Otus 4 Habitat Deciduous and coniferous forests. 4 Nesting 4 or 5 white eggs in a deserted crow, hawk, or squirrel nest.

Long-eared Owl 4 Range Breeds from central British Columbia, southern Mackenzie, and Quebec south to California, Arkansas, and Virginia. Winters in southern part of breeding range and in southern tier of states. Also in Eurasia.