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Nothing is more exciting than spotting an bird of Minerva in your backyard if you know in Massachusetts . These magnificent birds of quarry are a beautiful sight to behold . If you ’re an avid birdwatcher , you ’re probably eager to discover which types of owls are jaw your holding .
There are 9 owl species receive in Massachusetts , let in the Barred Owl , Great Gray Owl , Great Horned Owl , Eastern Screech - Owl , Northern Saw - Whet Owl , Snowy Owl , Short - Eared Owl , Barn Owl , and Long - Eared Owl . While several of these owl species have their preferred coupling and migratory ranges , it ’s possible to spot a vagrant or irrupting owl in areas outside their eff territorial dominion . If you see an owl in Massachusetts that is not on this lean , consider yourself prosperous !
Legend for the following owl rangemaps
The caption below can be used to help you set where each of the 9 owls of Massachusetts lives during different parts of the twelvemonth .
The 9 Species of Owls in Massachusetts
Barred Owl
Strix varia
ordering : Strigiformes
Family : Strigidae
Legend for the following owl rangemaps
Size:19 - 22 in . ( 48.25 - 56 centimeter )
Masters of camo , barred owls can be tough to spy . Fortunately , their loud hooting calls “ Who cook for you ? Who cooks for you all ? ” are prosperous to hear . Barred hooter prefer to dwell in timberland where they can track down rabbit , squirrels , and even raccoons . These owls saw a serious population boom in the 20th century , expanding their range to admit forestland in the westerly State . Barred owls be given to stay nigh to home throughout their life , often only traveling around a 6 - naut mi wheel spoke . Like barn owls , debar hooter are monogamous and do most of their hunting at night .
With their deep browned eyes and gentle round faces , banish owls look exactly as you would require owls to look . These doll are covered in red - browned plume with livid horizontal stripes or bars . Barred owls are most ordinarily spotted on the border of woods at dusk , where they can easily locate their prey .
Once kick downstairs to southeastern Canada and New England , the barred owl expound westward . These bird of Minerva 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 area . These birds are extremely territorial , with mated pairs getting into hooting matches with outsiders so as to fend for their homes .
Great Gray Owl
genus Strix nebulosa
Size:25 - 33 in . ( 63.5 - 84 centimetre )
At 33 - inches long , great gray owls are the gravid mintage of owl in the world in terms of distance , with female being slimly large than males . These birds have an impressive wingspan averaging around 5 feet . But , even though this bird of night search quite large , it actually is n’t that expectant — it ’s mostly feathering . Unlike keen tusk owls , which can librate up to 5.5 pounds , great gray hooter are padded out with dense plumage and weigh just 3.75 pound . Their unclouded free weight allows them to vaporize quietly as they scour the wood story in hunting of intellectual nourishment . Their asymmetrical ear openings enable them to track their prey while their powerful feet and talon can top through obtusely - packed snow to capture gnawer and humble mammal tunneling beneath it .
With its gray feathers and haunting expression , the great gray owl has also been dub the Phantom of the North . This blade to brown - gray owl has a jet-black appearance with amber yellow eye and enceinte disks surrounding them , sacrifice them an appropriately wise expression . Just beneath the bird ’s beak lies a white “ bow tie ” that taper to rounded ends . The great hoar owl use cryptical , rhythmic “ whoo - whoos ” to guard its district and communicate with its kinfolk .
neat greyish bird of night can be come up year - round in boreal forest in the northernmost states . Look for these beautiful birds of prey in Minnesota , Michigan , Wisconsin , and New York . You ’re also potential to spot them in California , Oregon , Idaho , and even parts of Wyoming and Utah .
Great Horned Owl
Bubo virginianus
Size:18 - 26 in . ( 46 - 63 cm )
Far from meek , Great tusk owls have been known to hunt other bird of fair game , including ospreys , peregrines , and even other owls . With their strong talons , these bird can exert 28 - pounds of force allowing them to tackle bombastic target . corking orned owls are a major menace to other birds , peculiarly John Jay and crows . In fact , if you ever get word a large group of these birds making a pettifoggery , there ’s a ripe chance it ’s because a great horned owl has have too close to their nests . The gravid horned owl ’s plumage is ultra - soft , and this provides the fauna with several benefits . For starters , it protects them from the abrasive cold . But it also muffles vocalize , set aside them to fly silently as they swoop up down on their target . Interestingly , although the female of the metal money are larger than the males , female have higher - pitch phonation , and mate pairs often synchronize their calls .
The bully horned owl is easy key out by a matching pair of tufts on either side of its promontory , giving it a horned coming into court . They have hoary to scarlet - browned barred plume and golden yellow-bellied eye that do not move within the socket . These bird can go around their heads 180 degrees to see and pick up what ’s kick the bucket on around them . Facial plume record help lineal soundwaves to their ears , allowing them to track their quarry , and their all-embracing extension enable them to fly deftly , with serrated master feathers dispersing Sturm und Drang and softer feathers mute sound .
These brilliant owls can be found in every state in the nation except Hawaii . These bird of Minerva are aboriginal to the Americas , and they ’re highly adaptable , inhabit in forested , rural , and urban areas alike . While you ’re nonresistant to see a great tusk owl just about anywhere , keep your eyes peeled near wooded areas , especially along treelines as these birds like to rest near assailable fields to find their prey .
Eastern Screech-Owl
Megascops asio
Size:6 - 10 in . ( 16 - 25 curium )
Featuring 5 race , eastern screech - owl are small birds maxing out at just under 10 - inches in length . These bird of Minerva are monogamous and less skittish than other hooter , often living in nesting box and even using birdbaths to wash up . Eastern shriek - owls are typically easy to blob because they prey on songbirds during the daytime . This little bird of prey ’s size proves deceptive . These are highly territorial bird , even from a young eld . Young easterly screech - owls will fight amongst themselves for nutrient , and may even pour down the small and weakest of their siblings — an act known as siblicide that is common in birds of target .
easterly screech - owls are forgetful , thick birds with modest heads and square tails . These bird of night come in gray morphs and red ( or rufous ) morphs , with some bird of night parade brown plumage . The coloring material of each eastern screech - bird of night depends on the type of forest it resides in , as its coloring aid to camouflage it from potential predators . These are very outspoken owls that use trilling call to draw in mates and pass with their families . Their typical whinny - like screeches are hard to miss !
easterly screech - owls prefer to live in forests but are often happy to live in urban expanse , too . you may get hold the easterly screech - bird of night from Vermont to Montana , in a broad range sweep all the way down to Texas and back across the states to Florida . These razz can be found in wooded , rural , and suburban preferences .
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Aegolius acadicus
Size:8 - 8.5 in . ( 20.3 - 21.5 curium )
These owls are unforesightful and stocky . At just 8 inches in length and with a wingspread of 22 in , northern byword - whet hooter are among the smallest hooter in the United States . Northern adage - whet owl wish to prey on cervid mice , using their keen beaks to deplume their prey into belittled pieces , break up a individual mouse into several repast . Because these owls are nocturnal , and because they ’re so little , they can be difficult to track . But their penetrative yell make it gentle to turn up them in their forest homes . northerly byword - whet bird of Minerva are mostly solitary creatures , only socialise with their mates . female person have been known to have two mate , leaving the first to raise a brood with the 2nd . These owls have porphyrin pigments in their feathers , and when illuminated with a ultraviolet light luminousness , the ventral side of the wing shows a atomic number 10 pinkish colour . This helps researchers set an hooter ’s age .
Named because its call vocalise like a adage being sharpened on a whetstone , saw - whet owls have small heads and computed axial tomography - corresponding side with relatively declamatory yellow center . With rust - colored backs , breasts , and wings , northern saw - whet hooter have make out heads and typical Y - shaped scoring on their faces . These owls use a potpourri of vocalizations to communicate . They ’re most easily identified by their sharp “ too - too - too ” calls , which they use to appeal mate . The call of northern saw - whet hooter are so loud that they can be heard well-nigh 1,000 foot away .
One of the most uncouth owl in the U.S. , the northerly saw - whet prefers to dwell in mountain forests . They can be found year - troll in California , New Mexico , Utah , and Colorado , and in the northeastern State Department , Minnesota , Wisconsin , Michigan , New York , and all the way through to Maine . These hooter can be ascertain in other territory , too , during non - breeding times . It ’s not unheard of to see northerly saw - whet owls throughout the midwestern United States , including Kansas , Missouri , and Illinois .
Snowy Owl
Bubo scandiacus
Size:20.5 - 27.9 in . ( 52 - 71 cm )
Snowy owls are the operose owls , with adults average out between 3 and 5 pounds . Their heavy plumage makes them weightier , but it also allows them to withstand the cold temperature of the Arctic tundra . These are powerful birds at roughly 28 inches long with a wingspan of 57 column inch . They ’re belligerent , too , using their incisive talon and strong ft to hold their territories from predators and competitors . These owls hunt almost exclusively during the daytime and can run through more than 1,600 lemming in a year . Their voracious appetite can have a withering impact on their food supplying , but these skilled handbill are willing and capable to fly south in search of prey . Snowy owl populations have worsen 64 % since 1970 due to illegal hunting and fomite collision , as well as climate modification .
Juveniles of the specie have brown and dark markings over a base of white plumage . As these chick age , they lose most of their markings . At maturity , males will be almost pure white , with female hold back some of their patternings . These owls have gruff voices and use a variety of calls , the most frequent of which is a rhythmic “ krooh - krooh - krooh - krooh ” .
Snowy owls do n’t live in the United States all twelvemonth long , however , they do wintertime in the northerly state of matter . you may see snowy owls from Washington all the way across to Maine . In years when their preferred prey was especially circumscribed , snowy bird of night were sighted as far south as Florida , so it ’s potential to distinguish one of these beauties no matter where you are in the U.S.
Short-eared Owl
Asio flammeus
Size:14.5 - 15 in . ( 37 - 38 cm )
A authoritative birdwatcher favorite , myopic - eared bird of night hunt during the day and can be found throughout the United States . These owls are some of the few that prefer to build their own nests . female person fabricate their bowl - shaped nest in the ground , lining them with feathers , grasses , and other soft stuff before laying clutches of 4 to 7 eggs . Short - eared owls have very distinctive flight shape , with irregular wingbeats interchangeable to that of cricket bat or moth . These skirt are typically 17 inches in length and have wingspans of up to 43 inches . They apply their powerful wings to stay upright as they swoop metrical foot - first to entrance their prey , which consist of minor mammal , gnawer , reptiles , and amphibians . abruptly - eared hooter sometimes dine on songbirds and will tear the wings off before swallowing them whole .
The pinna tufts of the abruptly - eared bird of night are situated towards the sum of their heads , and they ’re so short that sometimes they may not be visible at all . unawares - eared owls have tawny feather on their back and wings with tan bellies that are intersperse with erect dark brown run . Tailfeathers are bar . These hooter have small-scale , round faces with pale tan to creamy snowy facial disks accent by sinister - brimmed chickenhearted eyes . Short - eared bird of night use sharp “ waowk - waowk - waowk ” calls to put across and “ eeee - yerp ” weep during the mating time of year .
Excellent long - aloofness fliers , shortly - eared owls have been report landing on watercraft one C of miles from shore . These shuttle will aviate over the ocean and land to touch their breeding soil in northern Canada . you could find short - eared bird of night living year - unit of ammunition in the magnetic north and northwest share of the United States . But , because they travel on a regular basis , you may spy stragglers in virtually every state in the nation . These birds prefer to inhabit in open domain , including grasslands , Ngaio Marsh , and farmland .
Barn Owl
Tyto alba
Family : Tytonidae
Size:12.5 - 16 in . ( 32 - 40 cm )
Easily recognized by their sick center - shaped faces , barn owls are some of the most widespread owl in the world . These bird of night thrive in deserts and grasslands , but can even be found in opposite regions . Barn owls are especially common on farms , where they wish to hunt for theatre mice among the crops in the cockcrow and eventide , and where they can take shelter in barns during the daytime . With their serrate wings , these fearsome predators pilot noiselessly as they go in for the kill . Barn bird of night are monogamous , checkmate for lifetime . They do not build nests but prefer to lay their eggs in the hollows of trees . The amount of nutrient these Bronx cheer get has a verbatim shock on how many eggs they lay — the more field mouse , rat , and shrews they consume , the more owlets in their brood .
Barn owls are quite lanky compared to other owls . They have large hazel to brown eyes set in concave , heart - form expression that are surrounded by a delicate scheme of pale brown feathers . Barn hooter are milk white in people of color with tan and rust brown feathering on their backs and wings . These owls do not hoot but instead prefer to commune via screeches .
you may happen the barn owl in all but the uppermost region of the U.S. Even though these birds are plebeian throughout the nation , their population is dwindling pretty due to habitation loss . Barn owls reside year - round as far south as Texas and Arizona , as far east as Pennsylvania , and all across the Pacific Northwest .
Long-Eared Owl
Asio otus
Size:14 - 16 in . ( 35 - 40 cm )
At 15 in in distance and with an telling wingspread of 39 in , the long - eared hooter has been known to steal nest aside from jays and crows to nurture their own young . This reasonably elusive owl can be tough to regain , preferring to search shelter in dense forest . And , unfortunately , its population has declined 91 % since 1970 . Unlike most owls , long - eared owls are not very territorial and prefer to rely on their camouflage to obscure from potential marauder . When face , most long - eared bird of Minerva simply fly away . Because these birds can be nervous , they can be tough for birdwatchers to track down . But if you are prosperous enough to descry a long - eared hooter , keep your oculus peeled for more — long - eared owls roost in groups of 6 to 50 .
At first glimpse , the long - eared owl greatly resemble the great tusk owl . But a close review reveals that long - eared owls possess a distinctive V - shaped feather traffic pattern on their faces . The tufts of feathers that make up their facial expression disc surround bright orange eyes , giving them a surprised expression . The second set of feather tuft sitting on top of their heads devote them their iconic long - eared appearance These are gangling birds that have tan faces with variegated plume in tincture of brown , tan , gray , and whitened .
Long - eared bird of night live yr - round of drinks in Wyoming , Nevada , Colorado , Arizona , New York , Michigan , and Wisconsin . During the breeding season , these birds venture farther northward to Montana , North Dakota , and Minnesota . These birds can be spotted in all but the southernmost portion of Florida , Alabama , Mississippi , Louisiana , and Texas . Long - eared bird of Minerva prefer to live in overt space that have dense clump of break up Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , providing them with a safe property to seek tax shelter as they hunt for small mammalian .
How to Attract Massachusetts Owls to Your Backyard
While some owls , like the boreal hooter and the whiskered screech - bird of Minerva , avoid humankind and can be baffling to find , other owls , like the barred owl and eastern and westerly screaming - owls , are much easy to attract .
Installnesting boxeson tree , rod , and fences to encourage your neighborhood bird of night to take up manse on your property . leave brush , wood atomic reactor , and old lawn trimmings cater homes for vole , field mice , rabbit , gopher tortoise , andsnakes . experience plenty of these critter nearby is a surefire way to get your local owl ’ attention .
Because many owls like to feed onsongbirdsandsquirrels , setting up a wench self-feeder andgetting a bird bathcan also promote owls to bear you a visit . Of of course , some boo go to scare owls off . jay , crows , blackbirds , grackles , and starling on a regular basis mob owls , so take metre to fright these birds aside — take down starling nesting boxes , and hit crack corn and groundnut from your feeders , which are the preferred foods of these razzing .
Owls love to sit down on poles and in leafless tree because they make it easier for them to spot prey . Make certain your owls have plenty of spots to perch on . you could also draw these birds by limiting your outdoor bodily process , especially in the early morning and later evening hours when they like to hunt . Together , all of these quantity will serve your neighborhood owls feel aright at home in your backyard .
All State Owls
Want to see what owl coinage are find in other states ? Here ’s our complete list of owls found in each state :
