A relatively common Nearctic owl, the Barred Owl inhabits mature mixed deciduous-coniferous forests, often near streams or wooded swamps. This owl nests primarily in cavities, with both parents helping to care for the young until the autumn. Barred Owls have a varied diet of small mammals and birds. Barred Owls are unfortunately susceptible to collisions with automobiles as the owls may attack prey on roads passing through their forested territories. But, this species has been expanding its range from eastern North America all the way to the West Coast.

Burrowing Owls are a small, long-legged species of owl that spends the majority of its time on the ground.  They are native to open grassland, prairie, and desert habitats and range from southern Canada (where they are considered an endangered species) to the drier habitats of South America. They have also been found nesting in man-made structures and in close proximity with people on golf courses, campuses, and suburbs. Burrowing Owls differ from most owls in a variety of ways. They are primarily terrestrial and nest underground, while the majority of owls are cavity nesters or use the nest of other birds, such as crows or hawks.  This owl’s habit of nesting in colonies in underground burrows across flat treeless habitats has put it in competition with many kinds of human development, such as agriculture, housing plans, golf courses, and airports. As a result, programs exist to safely translocate Burrowing Owls and to attract them to nearby protected sites using artificial burrows.

Eastern Screech-Owls are a very common owl species throughout North America, and they have gotten very used to living near humans. These pint-sized owls can be gray or a reddish-brown, and their plumage gives them the ability to camouflage themselves in trees. They roost and nest in cavities in trees, but also make use of nest boxes. Males are smaller than females, but still have a deeper voice.

Eurasian Eagle-Owls have the largest wingspan of any owl species, reaching a whopping 6.5 feet! This species is widely distributed across Europe and Asia, and frequents a variety of habitats, from coniferous forests to grasslands and deserts. Eurasian Eagle-Owls are powerful flyers and soar on updrafts, similar to the flight style of many hawks. They are considered an apex predator, and have no natural predators, and they use a variety of hunting techniques to obtain prey. They are not picky eaters, and will eat anything from small mammals like voles to snakes and lizards, and occasionally even other birds of prey.

Adult Spectacled Owls are distinctive for their brown upperparts and head with whitish face markings resembling a pair of glasses. As juveniles, their facial markings are the complete opposite—pure white except for a chocolate brown facial disc! This distinctive species can be found throughout Central and South America in dense rainforest habitats. The call of the Spectacled Owl is a quick series of popping sounds, which sound like someone knocking on a door. Males sing more often than females, usually to claim territory, but have been known to sing duets together.

The Verreaux’s Eagle-owl is an inhabitant of the Afrotropical region where it can be found in a wide variety of habitats from open thorny savanna and semi-desert with scattered trees, to open woodlands, and riparian areas with scattered large trees. This species has a huge territory of about 7,000 hectares, which means that an area the size of Pittsburgh could only hold about two nesting pairs!  This owl hunts from a perch, gliding down to capture prey, and killing it with its strong feet and long talons. This is an opportunistic predator and will feed on many different types of mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, insects, and even carrion; it will even crash into thick foliage after roosting birds or arboreal mammals, or wade into water after fish. Perhaps because of its high flexibility in habitat and diet, there are not currently any particular conservation issues for this species.