Owls in Texas: 13 Most Widespread with Photographs

With over 630 documented species of birds in Texas, the Lone Star State is maybe the most well liked birding spot within the United States.

Due to its distinctive geographic place and temperature, it’s residence to no less than 10 species of owls, together with the ever-famous Nice Horned Owl and the attractive Barn Owl.

On this article, we’ll checklist among the most lovely owls in Texas, together with the best way to establish them. Let’s dive proper in!

1.  Nice Horned Owl

• Scientific identify: Bubo virginianus
• Size: 18.1 to 26 inches
• Weight: 50 ounces
• Wingspan: 55.2 inches

Nice Horned Owls, often known as Tiger Owls, are the biggest owls in Texas and the third-largest owls on the planet after Blakiston’s Fish Owls and Eurasian Eagle Owls.

These intimidating birds get their names from the horn-like ear tufts protruding from their heads. They’ve reddish-brown faces, mottled gray-brown plumage, and broad, barrel-shaped our bodies.

Nice Horned Owls might be noticed throughout all areas in Texas. They largely dwell in deciduous and evergreen forests, tundra edges, swamps, and deserts, however can be noticed in parks, cities, and orchards.

Due to their giant dimension and unwavering power, they’ll tackle prey of comparable dimension with out a lot situation. This contains ospreys, falcons, and different owls like Japanese Screeches.

Nice Horned Owls received’t hesitate to assault when threatened, whatever the species. They’d even assault people if it got here all the way down to it. Subsequently, they’re greatest admired from afar.

2.  Barn Owl

• Scientific identify: Tyto alba
• Size: 12.6 to fifteen.8 inches
• Weight: 14.1 to 24.7 ounces
• Wingspan: 39.4 to 49.2 inches

Barn Owls are year-round residents of Texas. They’re recognized to nest all year long, however they largely breed in February by way of June. When winter comes, they roost in junipers to guard themselves from the wind and chilly.

Barn Owls have an extremely distinctive look. Some name them lovely whereas others name them unpleasant and even unsettling, particularly when encountered at night time. They’ve a pale, “ghostly” look with heart-shaped faces, mottled tawny-gray feathers, and massive black eyes.

Though pretty giant in dimension, Barn Owls are comparatively docile. They not often present aggression. If a predator approaches them, they’ll fly off as an alternative of inflicting bother.

3.  Barred Owl

• Scientific identify: Strix varia
• Size: 16 to 25 inches
• Weight: 26 ounces
• Wingspan: 38 to 49 inches

Barred Owls have a smart, venerable look that reminds us of the owl from Winnie the Pooh.

These curious birds have spherical, tuftless heads, almond-shaped eyes, and almost black pupils. They’re short-tailed and stocky, with fluffy, heart-shaped faces and checkered plumage.

Barred Owls seem throughout all areas in Texas, however they’re ample in Japanese Texas. They dwell in deciduous and evergreen forests, feasting on small reptiles, squirrels, mice, birds, and chipmunks.

Widely known for his or her distinctive “who cooks for you?” name, Barred Owls are straightforward to establish. It is because they aren’t totally nocturnal. For those who’re fortunate, you could find them looking for meals in broad daylight.

Like Barn Owls, Barred Owls aren’t aggressive creatures. As an alternative of defending their territory with screeches and claws throughout disputes, they’d merely go away and seek for a brand new residence elsewhere.

4.  Western Screech-Owl

• Scientific identify: Megascops kennicottii
• Size: 7 to 10 inches
• Weight: 5.8 to six.5 ounces
• Wingspan: 22 inches

Western Screech-Owls are among the many smallest owls in Texas, measuring solely about 7 to 10 inches tall. Their territory extends all through the Trans-Pecos and the western Edwards plateaus, overlapping Japanese Screech Owls from the western Kerr counties.

Attributable to their wonderful camouflage, they’re pretty tough to detect at low densities. They completely mix in with tree bards, permitting them to seize prey extra swiftly than most owls.

Like their Japanese cousins, Western Display Owls have an lovable, “stuffed-toy” look with their spherical, stocky look, huge, expressive eyes, and small ear tufts. They arrive in three shade variations, grey, purple (rufous), or brown, and have grey streaks on their abdomens.

Since they’re so small, Western Display Owls feed on small rodents, bugs, and reptiles. Like most owls, they solely hunt at night time. 

5.  Japanese Screech-Owl

• Scientific identify: Megascops asio
• Size: 6 to 10 inches
• Weight: 5.60 ounces
• Wingspan: 19 to 24 inches

Japanese Screech-Owls look fairly much like Western Screech-Owls with their spherical, stocky our bodies and proportionally huge heads. They arrive in two shade variations, grey and rufous. Reddish varieties are most typical in northern Texas, whereas grey varieties seem in southern Texas.

Japanese Screech Owls dwell in woodlands, clearings, suburbs, and even parks. They feast on small critters, mammals, reptiles, and bugs, and would sometimes nab a passing fish as a fast snack. They strictly hunt at night time, so that you’ll not often see them in the course of the day.

6.  Burrowing Owl

• Scientific identify: Athene cunicularia
• Size: 7.5 to 9.8 inches
• Weight: 5.3 ounces
• Wingspan: 21.6 inches

Burrowing Owls dwell in Western Texas across the panhandle space. Like Barred Owls, Burrowing Owls are energetic night time and day. They are often noticed in fields, pastures, deserts, meadows, and different open habitats with little to no vegetation.

Because the identify suggests, Burrowing Owls make their nests in properties of deserted burrows, most of which belonged to floor squirrels, prairie canine, and tortoises. Attributable to this, they’ve a considerably greater carbon dioxide tolerance than different owls and birds.

Regardless of their small dimension, Burrowing Owls received’t hesitate to assault when threatened. They’re not aggressive, however they’re not docile, both. They’re fairly protecting of their territories and would actively defend their nesting website from predators if wanted.

Burrowing Owls are recognized by way of their sandy-colored plumage and vivid yellow eyes. Not like most birds, the place females are bigger than males, feminine and male Burrowing Owls are the identical dimension.

7.  Snowy Owl

• Scientific identify: Bubo scandiacus
• Size: 21 to 25.5 inches
• Weight: 40 to 70 ounces
• Wingspan: 49 to 59 inches

Snowy Owls thrive in chilly climates, in order that they not often go to Texas. Nevertheless, they are often noticed in Northern Texas occasionally if you realize the place to look.

Snowy Owls are famend for his or her unique magnificence and mostly-white plumage. Males are nearly fully white, whereas females are barred with black and brown.

Though they’re fairly giant, these attractive owls aren’t essentially the most vocal. They often solely make noises when threatened or confronted with potential hazard.

Like Nice Horned Owls, Snowy Owls are extremely defensive of their territories. They’ll assault anybody who threatens their nest, no matter how giant or harmful they’re. In actual fact, Snowy Owls are recognized to assault arctic wolves which have come too near their nesting websites.

8.  Elf Owl

• Scientific identify: Micrathene whitneyi
• Size: 5 to six inches
• Weight: 1.2 to 2 oz
• Wingspan: 10.5 inches

Dubbed for his or her diminutive dimension, Elf Owls are the smallest owls in Texas and throughout North America. At solely 5 to 6 inches, they’re no bigger than the frequent sparrow.

Since they’re so small, they primarily feed on bugs, bugs, and small reptiles.

They’re recognized by way of the v-shaped stripe above their eyes, their yellow-pink bellies, and their reddish-brown plumage. Like Barred Owls, they’ve tuftless heads.

9.  Lengthy-eared Owl

• Scientific identify: Asio otus
• Size: 13.7 to fifteen.7 inches
• Weight: 8.80 ounces
• Wingspan: 35.5 to 40 inches

Lengthy-eared Owls go by many names, a few of which embrace Northern Lengthy-eared Owls, Cat Owls, and Lesser Horned Owls.

These owls are recognized for his or her comically shocked look. They’ve giant, yellow eyes and lengthy ear tufts that time straight up as if curious or shocked.

Lengthy-eared Owls are sometimes mistaken for Nice Horned Owls due to their comparable ear tufts. Nevertheless, Lengthy-eared Owls are a couple of foot shorter than Nice Horned Owls, therefore the identify “Lesser Horned Owls.”

Their tufts are additionally nearer collectively than these of Nice Horned Owls, plus they’ve distinctive orange facial discs. If positioned side-by-side, it’s unmistakable which owl is which.

Thought-about to be one of the crucial vocal owl species on the planet, Lengthy-Eared Owls produce a number of sounds together with hoots, squeals, screeches, whines, meows, and even barks.

Lengthy-eared Owls largely dwell in woodland forests, grasslands, and areas with an abundance of tall shrubs. Throughout winter, they search out pine stands and shelterbelts. They spend their days roosting on bushes, their plumage completely camouflaging them from potential prey and predators.

10.   Quick-eared Owls

• Scientific identify: Asio flammeus
• Size: 13 to 17 inches
• Weight: 7.3 to 16.8 ounces
• Wingspan: 33.5 to 40.5 inches

Quick-eared Owls seem in Texas in the course of the winter. They’re usually seen looking for rats, voles, mice, and different small mammals in meadows, grasslands, and enormous forest clearings.

Like Snowy Owls, Quick-eared Owls aren’t very vocal. They’d solely make noise when threatened or once they wish to scare predators away. Their calls resemble these of a small canine or a cat in search of a mate.

Quick-eared Owls are diurnal creatures, which means they hunt night time and day. They are often seen flying above fields simply because the solar rises, their motions tub or moth-like.

Not like Lengthy-eared Owls, Quick-eared Owls don’t have ear tufts. They’ve spherical heads, quick necks, mild or dark-brown backs, and tawny or sandy bellies.

11.   Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl

• Scientific identify: Glaucidium brasilianum
• Size: 6.5-7 inches
• Weight: 2.2-2.7 oz
• Wingspan: 14.5-16 inches

Like Quick-eared Owls, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls are diurnal. When you have a eager eye, you’ll be capable of spot them going about their day within the afternoons.

Since Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls thrive in tropical environments, they largely dwell within the southern a part of Texas. It’s extremely uncommon to seek out in some other a part of the state. So, in the event you see one exterior Southern Texas, you’re extraordinarily fortunate!

Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls are fairly small at solely 6.5 to 7 inches tall. They’re both white and brown or grey and brown in shade, their bellies a lot lighter than their backs. Additionally they have white-streaked crowns and white “eyebrows.” 

12.   Flammulated Owl

• Scientific identify: Psiloscops flammeolus
• Size: 6 inches
• Weight: 1.8-2 to three ounces
• Wingspan: 14 inches

Named after the flame-like patterning on their feathers, Flammulated Owls go to the western areas of Texas throughout their migratory interval.

These owls are lined in rusty-colored markings which are fairly harking back to cracked embers. Their distinct gray-and-brown sample gives a outstanding camouflage towards the bark of bushes.

Flammulated Owls might be noticed in coniferous forests with giant bushes. Regardless of their tiny stature, their hoots are surprisingly loud and low. You’d by no means assume they got here from such a small hen!

13.   Northern Noticed-whet Owl

• Scientific identify: Aegolius acadicus
• Size: 6.5 to 9 inches
• Weight: 1.9 to five.3 ounces
• Wingspan: 16.5 to 22.2 inches

Northern Noticed-whet Owls are among the many cutest owls you’ll ever lay your eyes on.

Northern Noticed-whet Owls aren’t the commonest owls in Texas; the truth is, they’ll solely be noticed within the Davis and Guadalupe mountains of Trans-Pecos throughout summer time.

Though cute with their adorably outsized heads and heart-shaped faces, their warning calls go away a lot to be desired. They sound like whetstone sharpening a noticed, therefore the namesake. Fortunately, they solely make these uncommon vocalizations once they’re threatened. Usually, they’d solely make a collection of sentimental hoots.

Remaining Ideas

Texas is without doubt one of the most bird-diverse states within the US. There are over 10 completely different owl species within the nation, a few of that are native residents like Nice Horned Owls and Barred Owls.

For those who’re planning to go to Texas, preserve an eye fixed out for the magnificent creatures talked about above. You by no means know, you would possibly catch one in motion throughout one in every of their hunts!

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