Owls Of Canada

World Owl Species: 151 Owls in Canada Species: 16

Barn Owl Tyto alba

Size: 35–50 cm (14″–20″), Wingspan to 1.1 m (42″), Weight 460 gr (1 lb)
Nest: Coastal British Columbia south of Vancouver, southern Ontario

• Crow-sized owl with white, heart shaped face, dark eyes and long legs
• Rusty brown above, white or light below with fine, dark dots
• Darkest birds are always females, palest birds are males
• The most widely distributed owl in the world
• Mice make up 75% of their diet
• Strictly nocturnal, roosting during the day in cavities or farm buildings
• Pairs mate for life
• Voice is a long, hissing shriek
• Do not build a nest, but lay 5-10 white eggs directly on floor of cave, cavity or building rafter
• If food is scarce they lay fewer eggs, or don’t breed at all
• When being fed, young birds utter a hissing note like the sound of escaping steam
• Lifespan up to 17 years
• Endangered due to loss of habitat, lack of nesting sites

Barred Owl Strix varia

Size: 42–60 cm (17″–24″), Wingspan to 1.2 m (50″), Weight 720 gr (1.6 lb)
Nest: British Columbia, northern Alberta, Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba through to the Maritimes
Gray brown overall with cross barred neck and breast; streaked belly and dark eyes

• Does not have ear tufts
• Also called ‘hoot owl’ or ‘black-eyed owl’
• Active day or night
• Uncommon to rare in low, wet woods or dense mixed coniferous forests
• Can hear the squeak of a mouse from 46 m (150 ft) away
• Frequently drink water and bathe in open water even in winter
• Said to wade into water to catch fish
• Voice is a strong hoo hoo ho-ho
• Use the same nest site annually; both sexes incubate eggs
• Two to four white eggs laid in existing tree cavity
• Lifespan up to 23 years

Boreal Owl Aegolius funereus

Size: 20–30 cm (8″–12″), Wingspan to 0.5 m (21″), Weight 135 gr (4.7 oz)
Nest: British Columbia and across northern Canada
Also called ‘Richardson’s owl’ or ‘Sparrow Owl’

• Brown with white spots above and rust streaked breast
• Heavily spotted forehead and yellow bill
• Dark ‘V’ pattern on the face creates an angry expression
• Whiteish facial disc has black border
• Does not have ear tufts
• Uncommon to rare in boreal coniferous or mixed forests and muskeg
• Strongly nocturnal, roosting in thick cover during the day
• Virtually fearless of man
• Eskimos thought their ease of capture was because they couldn’t see in daylight
• Dependent on old woodpecker holes for nesting
• Preys on small rodents, birds and insects
• Four to six white eggs laid in existing tree cavity
• Sometimes shelters in abandoned igloos in the Arctic or barns during severe weather
• Lifespan up to 15 years

Burrowing Owl Athene cunicularia

Size: 23–27 cm (9″–11″), Wingspan to 60 cm (24″), Weight 155 gr (5 oz)
Nest: Southern Alberta and Saskatchewan

• A robin sized, ground dwelling owl with long legs, a short tail and yellow eyes; no ear tufts
• Face is framed in white with a blackish collar
• Uncommon, found only in grasslands or agricultural fields
• Nocturnal but often seen perched on fence posts or farm machinery during the day
• Voice is a high, trumpeting coo coooo
• Eat small rodents and insects, particularly grasshoppers
• Flight is low and undulating, often hovering close to the ground
• Nest and roost in underground burrows lined with grass, roots and animal dung, laying 7-10 white eggs
• Live in pairs or colonies in the abandoned burrows of prairie dogs or ground squirrels
• Have the largest clutches of any North American owl, occasionally up to 12 chicks
• Do not share a burrow with rattlesnakes; the defensive sound made by the young mimics the rattle
• Flight speed up to 19 kmh (12 mph)
• Lifespan up to 11 years
• Endangered due to habitat loss and the use of pesticides on their insect prey

Flammulated Owl Otus flammeolus

Size: 15–17 cm (6″–7″), Wingspan to 0.4 m (16″), Weight 60 gr (2.1 oz)
Nest: British Columbia

• A small owl slightly larger than a sparrow
• Have small, indistinct ear tufts, reddish edges on the facial disk
• Variegated red and/or grey plumage; light below with white and rust coloured markings
• The only small North American owl with dark eyes
• Uncommon and difficult to find in in coniferous woodlands and forest edges
• Nocturnal, roosting during the day in tree cavities, often those previously used by woodpeckers
• Nest in tree cavities, laying 3 or 4 white eggs
• Voice is a low, soft poot or podo podo repeated every few seconds
• Forages for insects at night and roosts in tree cavities during the day
• Eat primarily insects captured with their feet

Great Grey Owl Strix nebulosa

Size: 60–82 cm (24″–33″), Wingspan to 1.3 m (52″), Weight 1,080 gr (2.4 lbs)
Nest: Yukon, Northwest Territories and British Columbia to Ontario

• Canada’s largest owl, and look much heavier than they are
• Very fluffy with a long tail and large head with yellow eyes, no ear tufts
• Plumage is grey with dark, smudgy markings; black chin spot bordered by white patches like a bow tie
• Large, heavily ringed facial disc makes the eyes look small
• Smaller eyes than most are an adaptation to diurnal hunting
• Voice is a series of up to 10 deep, muffled hoots
• Hunt for small mammals at night, or at dusk and dawn and can be active during the day
• Do not build nests but will enlarge an old one
• Lay 2 to 5 white eggs in a bulky stick nest located in dense conifers
• Do not migrate, but will irrupt into hunting areas with high rodent population cycles
• A very secretive bird, discovered by Europeans in America before they realized it also lives in Europe
• Provincial bird of Manitoba

Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus

Size: 45–62 cm (18″–25″), Wingspan to 1.1 m (44″), Weight 1,400 gr (3.1 lbs)
Nest: Canada wide

• Broad head has prominent, wide spaced ear tufts
• Grayish or brownish above, mottled and streaked underneath, tawny orange facial disc with white throat
• Color is variable, ranging from nearly white in the Arctic to dark brown and grey in the south
• Voice is a series of deep muffled ho hoo hoo hoododo
• Active day or night; called the `winged tiger’ for their hunting ability
• Take medium sized prey such as rabbits, skunks, grouse
• Use a regular feeding post near the nest, where they bring prey to be torn up and eaten
• Have attacked people wearing fur hats, mistaking them for prey
• Does not migrate
• One of the first species to breed each winter, so the young are old enough to hunt returning species
• Do not breed until two years of age
• Nest in stick nests in trees, in caves, or on the ground, laying 2 or 3 white eggs
• Provincial bird of Alberta
• Flight speed 64 kmh (40 mph)
• Lifespan up to 29 years

Long-eared Owl Asio otus

Size: 32–40 cm (13″–16″), Wingspan to 1 m (36″), Weight 260 gr (9 oz)
Nest: Across southern Canada

• Nearly crow sized, with long ear tufts set close together
• Heavily streaked and barred on the belly; rusty facial disc
• Long black `ears’ are actually feather tufts which are flattened against the head in flight
• Usually solitary; a few may roost together in winter but they are so silent they are seldom seen
• The most secretive owl species, strictly nocturnal
• Inhabit dense deciduous and coniferous forests
• Pretend to be wounded to lure intruders away from the nest
• If disturbed on their roost, they raise ear tufts and compress feathers, looking like the stub of a tree limb
• Hunt small mammals at night, and roost next to tree trunks during the day
• Voice is a soft, low wooip every few seconds
• Generally silent except for breeding season
• Four or five white eggs laid in a stick nest
• Lifespan up to 27 years

Northern Hawk Owl Surnia ulula

Size: 35–42 cm (14″–17″), Wingspan to 0.7 m (28″), Weight 320 gr (11 oz)
Nest: Across northern and central Canada

• Black bordered facial disc, underparts cross barred with dark brown, long tail, no ear tufts
• Found in open spruce woods and near bogs
• Perch on tree tops or poles to watch for small mammals
• Hawk-like posture and flight give them their name
• Often hovers over open ground
• Inhabit boreal and coniferous forests and muskeg
• More active during the day than other forest owls
• Very tame, and can be approached closely
• Voice is a series of popping popopopopopo
• Have been seen following farmers loading hay bales onto wagons and pouncing on uncovered mice
• Basically non-migratory but will retreat from northern-most part of range in winter
• Eat small mammals, birds and insects
• Lay 3 to 7 white eggs in the hollow tops of spruce trees, tree cavities or abandoned stick nests

Northern Pygmy Owl Glaucididium gnoma

Size: 17–20 cm (7″–8″), Wingspan to 0.3 m (12″), Weight 70 gr (2.5 oz)
Nest: Southern British Columbia and Alberta

• A sparrow sized owl with a small round head
• Plumage is dark brown with pale bars, dark streaks and a spotted crown
• Dark head has white ‘eyebrow’ over the eyes
• Long tail is often moved or cocked sideways when perched
• Have two black spots on the back of the neck that look like eyes
• No soft wing feathers to muffle the sound of flight; rely on speed and agility instead of surprise·
• Inhabit areas of open coniferous or mixed deciduous forest
• Have a ferocity and strength out of proportion for their size, which is about that of a bluebird
• Voice is a series of toots repeated every few seconds
• Perch in trees to hunt for small birds
• Mainly nocturnal, but will hunt during the day
• Lay 3 to 6 white eggs in an existing tree cavity

Northern Saw-whet Owl Aegolius acadicus

Size: 17–20 cm (7″–8″), Wingspan to 0.4 m (17″), Weight 80 gr (2.8 oz)
Nest: Across southern and central Canada

• The smallest northern owl
• Also called ‘Sparrow Owl’
• Large head has a prominent white ‘V’ on the face, and whiteish streaks
• Fluffy plumage is reddish brown above with reddish streaks on a lighter belly, and a reddish facial disc
• Yellow eyes, dark bill and no ear tufts
• Found in mixed coniferous and deciduous forests
• Active at night and roosts in dense trees during the day
• Usual food is insects but occasionally take small rodents or birds
• Voice is a series of low toit toit whistled toots
• Name comes from their two note call
• Remarkably tame owls and nearly fearless of man
• Lay 5 or 6 white eggs in an existing tree cavity
• Lifespan up to 17 years

Western Otus kenicottii Nest: British Columbia

Eastern Otus asio Nest: Southern Saskatchewan through to Quebec

Size: 17–25 cm (7″–10″), Wingspan to 0.5 m (20″), Weight 180 gr (6 oz)

• Plumage variable; brownish red to gray
• Small and stocky; a large head, broad wings and short tail
• Ear tufts prominent when raised, and they have a flat headed look when tufts are down
• Strictly nocturnal, foraging at night for insects and rodents
• Usually solitary
• Roost in tree cavities during the day
• Nest in tree cavities, laying 3-8 white eggs
• Uncommon but widespread in forests, swamps, parks
• Voice is a series of shot pwep pwep pwep whistles
• Call is really a soft, mournful whinny that aroused fear and suspicion among early settlers
• Lifespan up to 13 years

Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus

Size: 32–42 cm (13″–17″), Wingspan to 1 m (38″), Weight 350 gr (12 oz)
Nest: Across Canada in grassland areas

• Crow sized and slender, with barely visible ear tufts
• Pale tawny brown overall with a heavily streaked underside and a dark triangle around each eye
• Long-winged owl of open country, marshes and tundra
• Have a high pitched, rasping call like the bark of a small dog
• Voice is a muffled poo poo poo in a quick series
• Fly low over the ground and hover briefly before swooping down
• Roost on the ground, occasionally in large groups
• Gregarious in winter and may gather where prey is abundant
• Less nocturnal than other owls and often seen in daylight
• Eat rodents and small mammals
• Adults will perform `crippled bird’ act to lure intruders from nest
• Live in the grasslands of every continent except Australia
• Flight speed 42 kmh (26 mph)
• Suffers from loss of natural habitat conversion to agriculture
• Listed as a species of Special Concern on COSEWIC

Snowy Owl Nyctea scandiaca

Size: 50–67 cm (20″–27″), Wingspan to 1.3 m (52″), Weight 1,830 gr (4 lbs)
Nest: Open Arctic tundra

• Mostly white in all plumages; first year birds have dark barring on the body and head; yellow eye
• Dark bars and spots heaviest on juveniles and females; old males may be pure white
• Winters in open fields in southern Canada and northern USA, perching on fence posts or poles
• Canada’s heaviest owl
• Completely encased in feathers from their toes and foot pads to the tip of their beak
• Most active at night, hunting small rodents and birds
• Require very large territories, up to 10 sq km (4 sq mi) due to the scarcity of prey on the tundra
• Hoots can be heard more than 3 km (2 mi) away
• Has the most northerly distribution of any owl
• Lemming population determines the number of eggs; if rodents are abundant up to 13 can be laid
• Nest in a shallow ground depression lined with feathers
• Flight speed 80 kmh (50 mph)
• Provincial bird of Quebec
• Lifespan up to 14 years

Spotted Owl Strix occidentalis

Size: 40–47 cm (16″–19″), Wingspan to 1.1 m (40″), Weight 610 gr (1.3 lb)
Nest: Southwestern British Columbia

• Large, rounded headed owl with white spotting on head, back and underparts; dark eyes
• Found in canyons and humid forests of coniferous trees
• Strictly nocturnal, and seldom seen because of their retiring habits during the day
• One of their calls is similar to that of a baying hound
• Voice is a strong, rhythmic hooting whup hoo hoo hoooo
• Pairs mate for life
• Lay 2-3 white eggs on the bare floor of a tree cavity
• Mates occupy a home range of 1,000 ha (2,500 acres)
• Hybridizes with barred owl where ranges overlap
• Prey on small rodents, birds and insects
• Decreasing in numbers and range where they can be found
• Very endangered due to loss of first growth forest habitat