Whooo Are You?

Among my favorite birds are owls. They are just amazing. The sounds they make and their large eyes. There are over 200 species of owls in this world. Owls are divided into two families:

Tytonidae including heart-faced barn owls

Strigidae including more typical owls

All owls are predatory with some species hunting for frogs and fish and others looking for large mammals. Some owls with their screeches often scare people in the night while others quietly hoot.

Barking owls

Location - These owls can be found throughout Australia, Papua New Guinea, and the Molucca Archipelago in Indonesia.

They’re recognized by the high-pitched woof-woof sound they make.

Their diets include everything from small mammals to birds, beetles, and moths.

Barred eagle-owls

Location – These owls make their homes in Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo.

These are large owls with protruding black eyes, a yellow bill, and two horn-like tufts protruding horizontally from their heads. They make a variety of calls from hoots to strange “strangulation noises”.

Their diets include large insects like grasshoppers and beetles. They also prey on small rodents such as mice and rats and reptiles mostly snakes.

Blackiston’s fish owls

Location – These owls are found in far eastern Russia, northeastern China, and northern Japan.

They’re the largest owl species in the world. These owls live in boreal forests with old-growth trees with cavities for nesting.

Their diets consist mainly of fish and have the strength to catch salmon and trout.

Burrowing owls

Location – These owls are found in open habitats in North and South America.

These are pint-sized owls that nest and take shelter in burrows that have been dug by mammals such as prairie dogs or tortoises. They make use of their claws and beaks to enlarge their burrows.

Their diets consist of insects and small mammals like beetles, grasshoppers, and mice. They also feed on reptiles, amphibians, birds, and fish.

Eastern screech owls

Location – These owls make their homes in eastern North America from Canada to Mexico.

These are small owls that don’t screech but make descending tremolo calls.

Their diets consist of birds and small mammals as well as insects, frogs, lizards, and tadpoles.

Elf owls

Location – This owl species is found in Mexico and the US states along the Mexican border. They make their homes in deserts and woodlands.

These are the world’s smallest owls no larger than sparrows.

Their diets include invertebrates.

Long-eared owls

Location – These owls are found in Europe, Asia, and North America.

They are known for their long ears. These owls live in the deserted nests of birds such as hawks, ravens, or magpies.

Their diets include small mammals that they can find in open land areas.

Northern hawk owls

Location – These owls live in the northern latitudes of North America and Eurasia

They’re one of the only diurnal owl species

Their diets are made up of small rodents and birds.

Oriental bay owls

Location – These owls are found in Southeast Asia.

They’re known for their heart-shaped faces and large dark eyes.

These owls feast on small rodents, bats, birds, lizards, frogs, and insects.

Pearl-spotted owlets

Location – Sub-Saharan Africa they make their homes in wooded savannas

They have two dark, white-rimmed patches on the back of their heads which appear to mimic a pair of eyes. This could be to confuse prey as to which way they’re looking.

Their diets include arthropods such as grasshoppers and crickets. They are also known for preying on small vertebrates like bats, rodents, lizards, snakes, and small birds.

Pel’s fishing-owls

Location – they make their homes in sub-Saharan Africa

These owls are among the world’s largest owl species

Their diets consists of fish and frogs caught on lake surfaces or in slow-moving rivers.

Spectacled owls

Location – These owls can be found in the American tropics from Mexico to Brazil. They make their homes in old-growth rainforests.

These owls are known for having distinctive white “spectacles” around their eyes making it seem as if they were wearing glasses.

Their diets include small mammals and invertebrates.

Spotted wood owls

Location – These owls can be found in Southeast Asia making their homes in open forests, plantations, and parks near human settlements.

They’re known for their distinctive orange facial discs.

They mostly feed on mice and rats but can also prey on small birds and insects.

Stripped owls

Location – These owls make their homes in Central and South America mostly in marshlands, savannas, and woodlands.

They’re known for their distinctive ear tufts and black, white, and cinnamon-colored streaks.

Their diets mostly consist of small mammals and birds.

Tawny owls

Location – These owls are found in the Palearctic Region south of the Iberian Peninsula and east to China. They make their homes in forests, gardens, and cemeteries. They’ve become among the most common owls in England.

They’re known for their screeching calls.

Their diets include rodents, birds, insects, and amphibians.