Owls (Strigidae) - Barn Owls (Tytonidae)
Owl Information ... Owl Photo Gallery
Wild Bird Feeders ... Wild Bird Food / Seed ... Binoculars ... Humming Bird Feeders / Feed ... Bird Houses / Bird Nests ... Woodworking Instructions to Build Bird Houses ... Recommended Books
Species
There are 222 species of owls, which are subdivided into two families; typical owls (Strigidae) and barn owls (Tytonidae).
Typical Owls
- Otus: scops owls, some 65 species
- Palau Owl, Pyrroglaux podarginus
- Cuban Screech Owl, Gymnoglaux lawrencii
- Northern White-faced Owl, Ptilopsis leucotis
- Southern White-faced Owl, Ptilopsis granti
- Mindanao Eagle Owl, Mimizuku gurneyi
- Horned owls and Eagle owls: Bubo; includes former genera Nyctea and Ketupa, some two dozen species. Please note: Eagle Owl may refer to any of various species of big owls, such as the Eurasian Eagle Owl.
- Snowy Owl, Bubo scandiacus
- Pel's Fishing Owl, Scotopelia peli
- Rufous Fishing Owl, Scotopelia ussheri
- Vermiculated Fishing Owl, Scotopelia bouvieri
- Strix: earless owls, some 15 species
- Mottled Owl, Ciccaba virgata : The Mottled Owl is a medium sized owl found from Mexico to Brazil and Argentina. The body has vertical bars on the chest and throat and white markings in the back. The eyes are dark and the head is round and they do not have ear tufts. It is thirteen to fifteen inches in length. They are territorial and found in dry forests and jungles up to 7500 feet above sea level.
- Black-and-white Owl, Ciccaba nigrolineata
- Black-banded Owl, Ciccaba huhula
- Rufous-banded Owl, Ciccaba albitarsis
- Crested Owl, Lophostrix cristata
- Maned Owl, Jubula lettii
- Spectacled Owl, Pulsatrix perspicillata
- Tawny-browed Owl, Pulsatrix koeniswaldiana
- Band-bellied Owl, Pulsatrix melanota
- Northern Hawk Owl, Surnia ulula
- Pygmy owls: Glaucidium about 30-35 species
Long-whiskered Owlet, Xenoglaux loweryi :
This rare owl is not much bigger than a human fist. It was spotted for the first time in the wild in the Peruvian jungle in March 2007. The bird with long, wispy feathers around its eyes was first discovered in 1976. Ornithologists believe only between 250 and 1,000 of the tiny animals, which occupy their own genus "Xenoglaux,' exist on the planet. The Long-whiskered Owlet lives strictly in a limited range in the Andes mountains in northern Peru. Although it has no ear tufts, this small owl's facial feathers extend out past its head, making it appear to have small tufts. It has large amber eyes, white eyebrows and is mainly brown and gray. Not much is known about this small owl because it is possibly the rarest owl species. Very few records exist and it is listed as an endangered species, and would qualify as Critically Endangered if it were not known from two locations. Its genus name means "Strange owl." It is found only in cloud forests with dense undergrowth and epiphytes at about 1890-2200 meters above sea level. - Elf Owl, Micrathene whitneyi
- Burrowing Owl, Athene/Speotyto cunicularia
- Spotted Owlet, Athene brama
- Little Owl, Athene noctua
- Forest Owlet, Athene/Heteroglaux blewitti
- Aegolius: saw-whet owls, 4 species
- Ninox: Australasian hawk-owls, some 20 species
- Papuan Hawk Owl, Uroglaux dimorpha
- Jamaican Owl, Pseudoscops grammicus
- Striped Owl, Pseudoscops/Asio clamator
- Asio: eared owls, 6-7 species
- Fearful Owl, Nesasio solomonensis
- Mascarenotus: Mascarene owls, 3 species (extinct) : The Mascarene owls form a distinct genus (Mascarenotus) of owls. The three species are all extinct.
- Laughing Owl, Sceloglaux albifacies (extinct)
- Genus Phodilus: Bay Owls are barn owls of the genus Phodilus, subfamily Phodilinae
- Oriental Bay-owl P. badius
- Samar Bay-owl P. (badius) riverae (probably extinct)
- Congo Bay-owl, P. prigoginei - sometimes placed in Tyto
Fossil genera
- Necrobyas (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene - Early Miocene of France)
- Prosybris (Borgloon Early Oligocene of Hoogbutsel, Belgium? - Early Miocene of France)
- Nocturnavis
- Palaeobyas
- Palaeotyto
- Selenornis
Sub-Species:
Barn Owls aka Delicate Owl, Monkey-Faced Owl, White Owl (Tytonidae - Tyto alba) - also see "Hissing Owl"
Boreal Owls
Collared Scops Owls
Eastern Screech Owls
Elf Owls
Flammulated Owls (Otus flammeolus)
Jungle Owlets
Lesser Sooty Owls: Lesser Sooty Owl (Chambers Wildlife Rainforest Lodge)
Northern Pygmy Owls
Northern Saw-Whet Owls
Pearl-spotted Owlets
Pygmy Owls
Saw-whet Owls: GE Neise Photography / Animals / Saw-whet owl
Scops Owls
Screech Owls: The term screech owl can mean in the North America the Scops Ow and in Britain the Barn Owl. Build a Nesting Box Instructions / 2nd Nest Box Option specifically for Western & Eastern Screech Owl ... Eastern Screech-Owl (Owl Research Institute) ... Western Screech-Owl (Owl Research Institute) ... A Little Wail in the Dark - Screech Owl (These distinctive owls neither hoot nor screech)
Western Screech Owls
If you would like to add to or correct any of the above information, or would like to share with web visitors your own experiences, please e-mail the webmaster.
Photo contributions are welcome!
