OWLS OF OHIO c d g u i d e b o o k DIVISION OF WILDLIFE Introduction O W L S O F O H I O Owls have longowls evoked curiosity in In the winter of of 2002, a snowy ohio owl and stygian owl are known from one people, due to their secretive and often frequented an area near Wilmington and two Texas records, respectively. nocturnal habits, fierce predatory in Clinton County, and became quite Another, the Oriental scops-owl, is behavior, and interesting appearance. a celebrity. She was visited by scores of known from two Alaska records). On Many people might be surprised by people – many whom had never seen a global scale, there are 27 genera of how common owls are; it just takes a one of these Arctic visitors – and was owls in two families, comprising a total bit of knowledge and searching to find featured in many newspapers and TV of 215 species. them. The effort is worthwhile, as news shows. A massive invasion of In Ohio and abroad, there is great owls are among our most fascinating northern owls – boreal, great gray, and variation among owls. The largest birds, both to watch and to hear. Owls Northern hawk owl – into Minnesota species in the world is the great gray are also among our most charismatic during the winter of 2004-05 became owl of North America. It is nearly three birds, and reading about species with a major source of ecotourism for the feet long with a wingspan of almost 4 names like fearful owl, barking owl, North Star State. Thousands of birders ½ feet, although the smaller great and powerful owl makes many a birder traveled from all over North America horned owl outweighs it by 15% on want to visit the distant lands in which and beyond to witness this spectacle. average. The smallest is the elf owl of these species occur. Ohio is a great state for owls. To Central America and the southwestern Closer to home, examples abound date, 12 species have been recorded; U.S. Less than six inches long and with of the popularity of owls. An easily more than any adjacent state other a wingspan of about one foot, elf owls observed nest of great horned owls than Michigan, which also has tallied are smaller than the familiar Northern along busy Cleveland Avenue in 12 species. To put that number into cardinal. It would take 35 elf owls to Columbus, Ohio was visited by well context, there are only 19 regularly equal the weight of one great horned over 1,000 people while it was active, occurring species of owls in North owl. and featured in local newspapers. America (two others, the mottled owl, E L F Table of Contents F ARE OHIOE OWLS RARE R R LS OHIO owls of ohio W R O O OWLS OF OHIO OW I U O OH OHIO WLS LS G RE OF OF RA 12 B A R N O W L A S I O R L N H E S R W IO O 17 L O O H BARRED OWL W AM O IO RTH ERIC U W Y O F NOIO A O L O O T S W 21 E A S T E R N S CREECH-OWL IO S H HE SOW L O R O F O H W F W N L L S F S O O O I LS 25 G R E A T Ho R N E D O W L E R CA ACC DENTAA O D O R R E S ERI L OW F E H A M M A H L A LS N R I R T TH O O A O E 30 Lo N G - E A R E D O W L R W M F R E O R N T - O S OO O H T O N U L A F R A R W H 35 C O T O No R T H E R N S AW-WHET OWL L I W I O I H M O S H L O R L A A E S H MR S O E W T IT 39 S H O RT-EARED OWL O O EEC O W I M E O R A F H F L D I H A C O L W 44 A O S N O W Y O W L O - A T S O T N H H N S W A H R E T O E E L A C R I A R R S RA R E O hio O wls O D R C N O R A I W O I C T R D W E R MOTTLED O N O E H C E 48 B O R E A L O W L H L O W F N S A T E S O H I R L O T R L O A O A I 48 B U R R O WIN G O W L H S ORIENTAL SCOPS S O N F W C N L I L O N O D O O P O R E O W F F 50 G R E A T G R A Y O W L Y R E W W O R O A O I O G M E T L L R - H S M H H 50 A BOREAL BURROWING GREAT GRAY NORTHERN HAWK S No R T H E R N H A W K O W L E G S L I O N H A Y O R H STYGIAN O O T E W M A T L F OT H E R O wls of N or T H A ME ri CA S O O R O D R R E P E N W A A R E O O N O O C R I I 52 E L F O W L I R L C O N T R H S R S O A H F E T H T L O O O I T H E 52 M F ERRU G IN O U S P Y GM Y -OWL O O F A F W A D T E S O A O O O R H H L S W M H 54 T G F LA mm U L A T E D O W L W E L O I R W H E I R E O L W O C R O H E S O O S N O 54 No R T H E R N P Y gm Y-OWL E I W L O C F T W R R O I O A C A E L E A H S S L S T R R 56 R Spo T T E D O W L L A O O S N N A N E F F C R W E O O R E O O O C D S H T F S 56 S R W E S T E R N S CREECH-OWL I L I I S H O E D N L C W C A H O I O E O O W T C E R O W I N L O H S A R 58 D W H I S K E R E D S CREECH-OWL O O E O O A T F F T O E O S H C L I O A W O A I E W R H O R C L I R E C A I L M ACC ID E N TA L O wls of N or T H A ME ri CA O M H A R A S H B E E H W O R T R R I C N M O A E L W A N F O R A S R R O 58 T M O TTLED O W L S H L E R W O A E O A H B H T R F O R N S I H O L O 59 I O RIENTAL SC OP S -O WL S N O R W F T K O H O O S A W L O E M I W E L 59 R STY G IAN O WL O H S I L C R A A T A O R N C E C D I A E E R R E FRONT COVER • BARN OWL / BACK COVER • NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL A R O D S H L I O W O O W O I L H S R O A E R Owl Morphology O W L S O F O H I O EXCEPTIOowlsNAL HEARING owl morphology of ohio Most birds have great hearing; in owls, this sense is truly exceptional, much better than is the case in humans. The “ear tufts” that many species display are not ears at all; rather they are probably just for display purposes. The actual ear opening, known as an aperture, is hidden under the feathers on each side of the head. In some species, each aperture is offset, or asymmetrical, which better helps the owl triangulate on the location of a sound.