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Nothing is more exciting than spotting an owl in your backyard if you live in Alabama . These magnificent birds of prey are a beautiful sight to lay eyes on . If you ’re an avid birdwatcher , you ’re in all probability eager to identify which types of owls are visiting your property .
There are 7 owl species found in Alabama , include the Great Horned Owl , Eastern Screech - Owl , Long - Eared Owl , Barred Owl , Barn Owl , Northern Saw - Whet Owl , and Short - Eared Owl . While several of these owl species have their favored sexual union and migratory ranges , it ’s potential to spot a vagrant or burst out owl in areas outside their known territories . If you see an owl in Alabama that is not on this leaning , consider yourself lucky !
Legend for the following owl rangemaps
The legend below can be used to help you determine where each of the 7 owls of Alabama lives during dissimilar parts of the class .
The 7 Species of Owls in Alabama
Great Horned Owl
Bubo virginianus
Order : Strigiformes
sept : Strigidae
Legend for the following owl rangemaps
Size:18 - 26 in . ( 46 - 63 cm )
Far from meek , Great Horned owl have been known to hunt other birds of prey , including ospreys , Falco peregrinus , and even other owls . With their strong talon , these bird can exert 28 - pounds of forcefulness allowing them to tackle larger fair game . Great orned owls are a major threat to other birdie , especially jays and crows . In fact , if you ever listen a large grouping of these birds make a fuss , there ’s a good luck it ’s because a great tusk owl has gotten too cheeseparing to their nest . The great horn owl ’s feather is ultra - subdued , and this provide the creature with several benefits . For starter motor , it protect them from the harsh cold . But it also tone down sound , let them to fly mutely as they pounce down on their prey . Interestingly , although the females of the coinage are larger than the Male , female person have higher - pitched representative , and mate pairs often synchronize their call .
The expectant horned owl is easily identified by a cope with twosome of tufts on either side of its nous , giving it a horn appearance . They have gray to crimson - brown barred plumage and golden yellow heart that do not move within the sockets . These birds can rotate their heads 180 stage to see and hear what ’s going on around them . Facial plume disc aid direct soundwaves to their ears , allow for them to track their quarry , and their wide wings enable them to flee deftly , with serrated principal feathers dispersing turbulence and softer feathers muffling sound .
These glorious owls can be found in every state in the land except Hawaii . These owls are native to the Americas , and they ’re extremely adaptable , dwell in forested , rural , and urban region alike . While you ’re nonimmune to see a great horned owl just about anywhere , keep your eyes peel off near wooded areas , especially along treelines as these birdie like to perch near open fields to discover their target .
Eastern Screech-Owl
Megascops asio
Size:6 - 10 in . ( 16 - 25 centimeter )
Featuring 5 subspecies , eastern screech - owls are little bird maxing out at just under 10 - inches in length . These owls are monogamous and less skittish than other hooter , often know in nesting boxes and even using birdbaths to wash up . Eastern shrieking - owls are typically easy to tell apart because they prey on songbirds during the daytime . This little raptorial bird ’s size proves deceptive . These are extremely territorial birds , even from a young years . Young easterly screech - bird of night will fight amongst themselves for intellectual nourishment , and may even stamp out the smallest and weakest of their sibling — an act known as siblicide that is common in birds of quarry .
easterly screech - bird of night are short , thick wench with small head and square empennage . These owls come in grey-haired morphs and scarlet ( or rufous ) morphs , with some owls exhibiting brown plumage . The colouring of each easterly screech - bird of Minerva depends on the type of timber it reside in , as its coloring helps to camouflage it from potential predators . These are very vocal owls that use trill calls to draw mates and communicate with their fellowship . Their distinctive whinny - like screeches are hard to miss !
Eastern screech - owls choose to experience in forests but are often glad to live in urban areas , too . you may find oneself the easterly screech - owl from Vermont to Montana , in a broad range sweeping all the way down to Texas and back across the states to Florida . These birds can be found in wooded , rural , and suburban options .
Long-Eared Owl
genus Asio genus Otus
Size:14 - 16 in . ( 35 - 40 cm )
At 15 inches in distance and with an impressive wingspan of 39 inch , the long - eared owl has been get laid to slip nests away from jay and crow to raise their own young . This moderately elusive hooter can be tough to discover , preferring to attempt shelter in dense woodlands . And , unfortunately , its universe has worsen 91 % since 1970 . Unlike most owls , long - eared owls are not very territorial and choose to rely on their camouflage to hide from possible predators . When present , most long - eared owls simply take flight away . Because these dame can be skittish , they can be hard for birdwatchers to track down . But if you are favourable enough to spot a long - eared owl , keep your optic peel for more — long - eared owls roost in groups of 6 to 50 .
At first glance , the long - eared owl greatly resemble the great horned hooter . But a closer inspection let out that long - eared owls possess a typical V - forge feather pattern on their faces . The tufts of feather that make up their side disc wall bright orangish eye , giving them a surprised expression . The 2nd hardening of feather tuft sitting on top of their heads gives them their iconic long - eared appearance These are lanky birds that have tan faces with variegate plumage in shades of brown , tan , gray , and white .
Long - eared owls live year - round in Wyoming , Nevada , Colorado , Arizona , New York , Michigan , and Wisconsin . During the breeding time of year , these birds embark farther northward to Montana , North Dakota , and Minnesota . These bird can be pick out in all but the southernmost portion of Florida , Alabama , Mississippi , Louisiana , and Texas . Long - eared owl choose to live in open spaces that have dense clusters of scattered trees , providing them with a safe space to seek shelter as they track down for small mammal .
Barred Owl
Strix varia
Size:19 - 22 in . ( 48.25 - 56 cm )
Masters of camouflage , exclude hooter can be tough to spot . Fortunately , their loud hoot call “ Who cooks for you ? Who cooks for you all ? ” are easy to hear . Barred bird of Minerva prefer to populate in forests where they can track down rabbit , squirrels , and even raccoon . These owls saw a serious universe boom in the 20th century , expanding their range to admit forestland in the westerly state . Barred owls be given to stay close to home throughout their life story , often only traveling around a 6 - mile spoke . Like barn owls , barred bird of night are monogamous and do most of their hunting at night .
With their deep dark-brown center and easy round faces , barred owls attend exactly as you would anticipate owls to look . These birds are covered in ruby-red - brown feathers with ashen horizontal stripes or bars . block off hooter are most commonly spotted on the edges of wood at evenfall , where they can easy locate their prey .
Once relegated to southeastern Canada and New England , the barred bird of night expanded westward . These owl can now be found in parts of Minnesota , Nebraska , Kansas , and Oklahoma . Barred owls have become quite adaptable , and can be spotted in urban areas as well as rural regions . These birds are extremely territorial , with paired couple getting into hooting matches with outsiders for maintain their rest home .
Barn Owl
Tyto alba
kin : Tytonidae
Size:12.5 - 16 in . ( 32 - 40 cm )
easy recognized by their pale center - shaped faces , barn owls are some of the most widespread bird of Minerva in the cosmos . These owls thrive in deserts and grasslands , but can even be set up in gelid region . Barn owl are especially common on farms , where they care to hunt for subject mice among the crops in the sunrise and even , and where they can take shelter in barns during the daylight . With their serrated wings , these fearsome predators fell noiselessly as they go in for the kill . Barn owls are monogamous , match for life . They do not progress nest but prefer to lay their eggs in the hollow of trees . The amount of food these birds receive has a direct impingement on how many egg they lay — the more voles , rats , and shrewmouse they consume , the more owlet in their brood .
Barn owls are quite lanky compare to other owl . They have prominent hazel to brownish eyes go down in concave , heart - determine face that are surround by a delicate scheme of pale brownish feathers . Barn owls are milk white in color with tan and rust chocolate-brown feathers on their back and wing . These owl do not hoot but instead prefer to communicate via scream .
you may find the barn bird of Minerva in all but the uppermost region of the U.S. Even though these hoot are rough-cut throughout the country , their universe is dwindling more or less due to habitation loss . Barn owls reside year - unit of ammunition as far in the south as Texas and Arizona , as far east as Pennsylvania , and all across the Pacific Northwest .
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Aegolius acadicus
Size:8 - 8.5 in . ( 20.3 - 21.5 centimeter )
These owls are short and compact . At just 8 inches in distance and with a wingspan of 22 inches , northern saw - whet owls are among the smallest owls in the United States . northerly adage - whet bird of night care to raven on cervid mouse , using their acute schnozzle to pull their prey into smaller piece , breaking up a single computer mouse into several meals . Because these owls are nocturnal , and because they ’re so small , they can be hard to get across . But their sharp cry make it easy to locate them in their forest homes . Northern saw - whet owls are mostly solitary creatures , only socialise with their mates . Females have been known to have two Ilex paraguariensis , leaving the first to elevate a brood with the second . These hooter have porphyrin pigment in their plume , and when illuminated with a UV light , the ventral side of the wings shows a neon pink color . This helps researchers determine an owl ’s age .
advert because its call vocalize like a sawing machine being sharpened on a whetstone , saw - whet owls have belittled heads and computerized tomography - like faces with relatively expectant sensationalistic eyes . With rusting - color dorsum , breasts , and wings , northerly power saw - whet owls have blob heads and distinctive Y - shaped markings on their faces . These owl employ a variety of vocalizations to communicate . They ’re most easily identified by their shrill “ too - too - too ” call , which they use to attract mates . The cries of northern sawing machine - whet owls are so trashy that they can be get word intimately 1,000 animal foot away .
One of the most common owls in the U.S. , the northerly power saw - whet prefers to dwell in pot forests . They can be found yr - round in California , New Mexico , Utah , and Colorado , and in the northeast country , Minnesota , Wisconsin , Michigan , New York , and all the way of life through to Maine . These owls can be seen in other territories , too , during non - breeding times . It ’s not unheard of to see northerly saw - whet owls throughout the midwest , including Kansas , Missouri , and Illinois .
Short-eared Owl
Asio flammeus
Size:14.5 - 15 in . ( 37 - 38 cm )
A classical birdwatcher favorite , short - eared owls hunt during the daytime and can be see throughout the United States . These owls are some of the few that prefer to build their own nests . female construct their bowling ball - shaped nests in the ground , lining them with feather , sens , and other lenient stuff before laying clutch of 4 to 7 eggs . Short - eared hooter have very distinctive flight normal , with irregular wingbeats similar to that of cricket bat or moths . These birds are typically 17 inches in length and have wingspans of up to 43 inch . They use their powerful wing to stay upright as they swoop up metrical foot - first to capture their prey , which consists of little mammals , gnawer , reptile , and amphibians . Short - eared owls sometimes dine on songbird and will charge the annexe off before swallowing them whole .
The auricle tussock of the short - eared owl are situated towards the center of their head , and they ’re so short that sometimes they may not be seeable at all . dead - eared bird of night have tawny plumage on their backs and wings with tan belly that are interspersed with perpendicular dark brown streaks . Tailfeathers are barred . These owls have little , orotund faces with pale tan to creamy blanched facial disk accent by black - brim yellow eyes . Short - eared bird of Minerva use sharp “ waowk - waowk - waowk ” promise to pass on and “ eeee - yerp ” cry during the conjugation season .
Excellent retentive - aloofness circular , unawares - eared bird of night have been reported landing on vessel hundreds of miles from shoring . These birds will take flight over the sea and kingdom to reach their breeding grounds in northerly Canada . you may see short - eared owl live twelvemonth - round in the north and northwesterly portions of the United States . But , because they travel regularly , you’re able to spot stragglers in near every land in the country . These dame opt to dwell in open domain , include grasslands , marshes , and farmland .
How to Attract Alabama Owls to Your Backyard
While some bird of night , like the boreal bird of night and the barbate screeching - owl , void mankind and can be tough to find , other owls , like the debar owl and easterly and westerly screech - owls , are much easier to pull .
Installnesting boxeson tree , poles , and fences to encourage your neighborhood owls to take up residence on your property . Leaving light touch , wood piles , and old lawn trimmings provides homes for field mouse , field black eye , rabbits , gopher , andsnakes . Having plenty of these critters nearby is a surefire way to get your local owls ’ care .
Because many owls like to feed onsongbirdsandsquirrels , fructify up a bird feeder andgetting a bird bathcan also further owls to pay you a visit . Of course , some birds run to scare owls off . Jays , crows , New World blackbird , grackles , and starlings regularly mob owl , so take measures to scare these birds aside — take down starling nest boxes , and remove cracked Indian corn and peanuts from your feeders , which are the preferred foods of these birds .
bird of Minerva lie with to sit on perch and in leafless tree because they make it easier for them to pick out prey . Make certain your owls have plenty of spot to roost on . you’re able to also draw these shuttle by determine your out-of-door activity , peculiarly in the other dawning and belated evening hours when they care to hunt . Together , all of these measures will help your neighborhood owls feel right at abode in your backyard .
All State Owls
desire to see what bird of Minerva species are found in other states ? Here ’s our complete lean of owls found in each state :
