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Nothing is more exciting than spotting an owl in your backyard if you live in Minnesota . These glorious dame of quarry are a beautiful sight to lay eyes on . If you ’re an zealous birdwatcher , you ’re credibly eager to identify which types of owl are visit your property .
There are 11 owl species found in Minnesota , admit the Snowy Owl , Northern Saw - Whet Owl , Great Gray Owl , Short - Eared Owl , Barred Owl , Eastern Screech - Owl , Barn Owl , Northern Hawk Owl , Burrowing Owl , Great Horned Owl , and Long - Eared Owl . While several of these owl species have their pet conjugation and migratory scope , it ’s possible to discern a vagrant or irrupting bird of night in areas outside their known territories . If you see an owl in Minnesota that is not on this leaning , consider yourself lucky !
Legend for the following owl rangemaps
The legend below can be used to help you find out where each of the 11 owls of Minnesota lives during dissimilar percentage of the year .
The 11 Species of Owls in Minnesota
Snowy Owl
genus Bubo scandiacus
Order : order Strigiformes
Family : Strigidae
Legend for the following owl rangemaps
Size:20.5 - 27.9 in . ( 52 - 71 atomic number 96 )
Snowy owls are the heaviest owls , with adults averaging between 3 and 5 pounds . Their dense plumage makes them grave , but it also give up them to stand firm the dusty temperatures of the Arctic tundra . These are powerful birds at roughly 28 inch long with a wingspan of 57 inches . They ’re aggressive , too , using their acute talon and strong foot to fight their dominion from predator and competition . These owls hunt almost exclusively during the daylight and can eat more than 1,600 lemmings in a year . Their voracious appetite can have a devastating wallop on their food supplying , but these skilled fliers are willing and able-bodied to fly south in hunting of quarry . Snowy owl population have declined 64 % since 1970 due to illegal hunting and fomite collisions , as well as mood change .
juvenile person of the species have browned and black scoring over a base of white feather . As these birds senesce , they drop off most of their markings . At maturity , male will be almost perfect white-hot , with female retaining some of their patternings . These owls have hoarse voices and utilize a variety of calls , the most frequent of which is a rhythmic “ krooh - krooh - krooh - krooh ” .
Snowy owls do n’t dwell in the United States all year long , however , they do wintertime in the northern states . you could see snowy owl from Washington all the fashion across to Maine . In years when their pet prey was specially limited , snowy owls were sight as far to the south as Florida , so it ’s possible to spot one of these beauties no matter where you are in the U.S.
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Aegolius acadicus
Size:8 - 8.5 in . ( 20.3 - 21.5 cm )
These bird of night are short and heavyset . At just 8 inches in distance and with a wingspread of 22 inch , northern saw - whet bird of night are among the smallest owls in the United States . Northern saw - whet owls wish to prey on cervid mouse , using their sharp beak to shoot down their prey into smaller piece , breaking up a single shiner into several meals . Because these bird of Minerva are nocturnal , and because they ’re so belittled , they can be difficult to cross . But their sharp cries make it easier to locate them in their timber home . northerly power saw - whet owls are mostly solitary creatures , only socialise with their mates . Females have been know to have two checkmate , leaving the first to enkindle a brood with the second . These bird of Minerva have porphyrin pigment in their feathers , and when crystalise with a UV light , the ventral side of the wing shows a neon pinkish color . This serve researchers watch an owl ’s historic period .
Named because its call sounds like a saw being sharpened on a whetstone , proverb - whet owls have small head and cat - corresponding expression with comparatively large yellowed center . With rust - distort back , breasts , and annex , northern saw - whet bird of night have spotted head and typical Y - shaped markings on their faces . These bird of night practice a variety of vocalization to communicate . They ’re most well name by their sharp “ too - too - too ” calls , which they use to attract spouse . The rallying cry of northern saw - whet owls are so loud that they can be heard nearly 1,000 feet away .
One of the most vulgar hooter in the U.S. , the northern saw - whet prefers to dwell in mountain forest . They can be rule class - round in California , New Mexico , Utah , and Colorado , and in the northeast state , Minnesota , Wisconsin , Michigan , New York , and all the way through to Maine . These owls can be learn in other territory , too , during non - breeding times . It ’s not unheard of to see northerly sawing machine - whet hooter throughout the midwest , including Kansas , Missouri , and Illinois .
Great Gray Owl
genus Strix nebulosa
Size:25 - 33 in . ( 63.5 - 84 cm )
At 33 - inches long , great gray-headed owls are the largest species of owl in the world in terms of distance , with females being slightly larger than males . These bird have an telling wingspan averaging around 5 foundation . But , even though this owl looks quite great , it really is n’t that full-grown — it ’s mostly feathers . Unlike groovy tusk owls , which can press up to 5.5 Syrian pound , great gray bird of night are padded out with heavy plumage and weigh just 3.75 pounds . Their wakeful weightiness give up them to vanish quietly as they scrub the forest story in search of food . Their asymmetrical ear hatchway enable them to track their prey while their potent animal foot and talon can clear up through thickly - packed snow to capture gnawer and small mammals tunneling beneath it .
With its white-haired feather and stalk expression , the groovy gray owl has also been dub the Phantom of the North . This steel to chocolate-brown - gray owl has a sooty appearance with amber yellow-bellied eyes and large disks hem in them , giving them an appropriately wise look . Just beneath the raspberry ’s bill lie a white “ bow tie ” that sharpen to rounded ends . The great gray hooter uses deep , rhythmic “ whoo - whoos ” to ward its territories and pass along with its family line .
Great grey owls can be find year - stave in boreal forests in the northmost states . bet for these beautiful birds of quarry in Minnesota , Michigan , Wisconsin , and New York . You ’re also likely to spot them in California , Oregon , Idaho , and even parts of Wyoming and Utah .
Short-eared Owl
Asio flammeus
Size:14.5 - 15 in . ( 37 - 38 cm )
A classic birdwatcher preferent , short - eared owls hunting during the day and can be found throughout the United States . These owls are some of the few that choose to build their own nests . female person construct their bowl - shaped nest in the ground , line them with feathers , grasses , and other sonant stuff before laying clutches of 4 to 7 eggs . Short - eared owls have very distinctive flying patterns , with irregular wingbeats exchangeable to that of squash racket or moth . These birds are typically 17 inch in length and have wingspread of up to 43 in . They utilise their powerful wing to quell upright as they swoop feet - first to becharm their prey , which consist of pocket-size mammals , rodents , reptiles , and amphibious aircraft . shortly - eared owls sometimes dine on songbirds and will tear the wing off before swallowing them whole .
The ear tuft of the short - eared owl are situate towards the center of their heads , and they ’re so short that sometimes they may not be seeable at all . abruptly - eared hooter have tawny plume on their rachis and wings with tan belly that are interspersed with upright dark brown stripe . Tailfeathers are banish . These owls have low , round faces with pale tan to creamy white facial disks accentuate by black - brim yellow optic . suddenly - eared owls use knifelike “ waowk - waowk - waowk ” calls to communicate and “ eeee - yerp ” cry during the mating season .
Excellent long - distance flyer , unawares - eared bird of Minerva have been report landing on vessel hundreds of nautical mile from shore . These birds will vanish over the ocean and kingdom to reach their gentility grounds in northern Canada . you could find short - eared hooter living class - round in the north and northwest portions of the United States . But , because they travel regularly , you could spot stragglers in nearly every state in the land . These birds opt to inhabit in candid country , include grasslands , marshland , and farmland .
Barred Owl
Strix varia
Size:19 - 22 in . ( 48.25 - 56 atomic number 96 )
Masters of disguise , barricade bird of night can be bad to distinguish . fortuitously , their flash hoot calls “ Who misrepresent for you ? Who wangle for you all ? ” are loose to see . Barred bird of Minerva prefer to populate in forests where they can cross down rabbits , squirrels , and even raccoons . These owl saw a serious universe boom in the 20th century , expanding their reach to include forestland in the western state . block up owls tend to stay close to home throughout their sprightliness , often only traveling around a 6 - nautical mile r . Like barn owls , block off bird of night are monogamous and do most of their hunting at night .
With their deep brown oculus and gentle round of golf faces , bar bird of Minerva seem exactly as you would expect owls to depend . These fowl are covered in red - brown feathers with white horizontal stripe or bar . Barred owls are most usually spot on the edges of timber at dusk , where they can easily turn up their prey .
Once relegate to southeastern Canada and New England , the barred owl expound westwards . These owls can now be find oneself in parts of Minnesota , Nebraska , Kansas , and Oklahoma . Barred owl have become quite adaptable , and can be spotted in urban expanse as well as rural regions . These birds are passing territorial , with mated pairs getting into hoot matches with outsiders for fend for their place .
Eastern Screech-Owl
Megascops asio
Size:6 - 10 in . ( 16 - 25 atomic number 96 )
feature 5 subspecies , easterly screech - owls are modest birds maxing out at just under 10 - inches in duration . These owls are monogamous and less skittish than other hooter , oft living in nesting box and even using birdbath to wash up . easterly screech - owls are typically easy to spot because they prey on songster during the daylight . This little raptor ’s size raise shoddy . These are extremely territorial skirt , even from a young age . Young eastern screech - owl will push amongst themselves for intellectual nourishment , and may even kill the smallest and weakest of their siblings — an act know as siblicide that is common in birds of prey .
Eastern screech - owls are short , stocky birds with pocket-sized head and square behind . These owls fall out in gray morphs and carmine ( or rufous ) morphs , with some bird of Minerva exhibiting brown plume . The colour of each eastern screech - owl depends on the case of forest it resides in , as its coloring helps to camouflage it from likely predators . These are very outspoken owls that use trilling calls to attract mates and pass with their families . Their distinctive whinny - comparable screeches are hard to miss !
easterly screech - owls prefer to live on in forests but are often happy to live in urban areas , too . you may get the easterly screech - bird of night from Vermont to Montana , in a broad range of a function sweeping all the way down to Texas and back across the nation to Florida . These birds can be found in wooded , rural , and suburban options .
Barn Owl
Tyto alba
Family : Tytonidae
Size:12.5 - 16 in . ( 32 - 40 curium )
Easily recognized by their pale heart - shaped faces , barn owls are some of the most far-flung owl in the world . These owls expand in deserts and grasslands , but can even be found in polar regions . Barn hooter are especially common on farms , where they care to hunt down for field mice among the crops in the morning and evening , and where they can take shelter in barns during the daytime . With their serrated wings , these dreadful predators fly noiselessly as they go in for the kill . Barn hooter are monogamous , pair for lifetime . They do not build nest but favor to lay their eggs in the hollows of tree diagram . The amount of food these birds obtain has a unmediated wallop on how many egg they lie — the more field mouse , informer , and shrews they consume , the more owlets in their brood .
Barn owls are quite gangly compared to other bird of night . They have large hazel to browned center set in concave , heart - form faces that are fence by a delicate precis of pale chocolate-brown plume . Barn owls are milk white in color with tan and rust brown feather on their vertebral column and wings . These hooter do not hoot but instead opt to communicate via screeching .
you could find the b bird of night in all but the uppermost region of the U.S. Even though these birds are common throughout the country , their population is dwindle somewhat due to home passing . Barn bird of night reside year - round as far in the south as Texas and Arizona , as far east as Pennsylvania , and all across the Pacific Northwest .
Northern Hawk Owl
genus Surnia ulula
Size:13.5 - 17.5 in . ( 33.5 - 44.4 cm )
As birds of fair game , bird of Minerva must rely on all of their senses to close in on a kill . But the northerly huckster bird of Minerva prefers to hunt by deal and can spot its quarry from an amazing distance of half a mi away . These bird of night have poor hearing than most others because their ear openings are not asymmetric . Still , they can tail pocket-size mammals beneath a foot of nose candy if need be . As their name implies , the northerly hawk owl prefers to stick to the northernmost portion of North America , but stragglers have been sleep with to find their manner to the south as solid food becomes scarce . Northern hawk owls nest in dead Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and hollow stumps , where they raise clutches of 3 to 11 egg at a clock time . Fearless and confrontational , northern mortarboard owls will assault anything that wanders too close to their nesting sites , whether it ’s a squirrel or a human .
Hawk owl calculate like owls , but act like hawks , perch in crown and searching for their prey right out in the outdoors during the day time of day . These bird of night are characterized by farseeing tail and pocket-sized orotund heading circumvent by a border of dark dark-brown feathers . Their vibrant yellow eyes and beaks suffer in stark contrast to their blood-red - browned feathering . Northern monger owls have nearly solid dark-brown backs and striped fronts and utilize shrill trilled whistle to pull in likely mates .
These magnificent razz do not hold up in the United States twelvemonth - pear-shaped , but they do like to spend their winters here . you may find the northerly mortarboard owl in the forests of the northmost states , including New Hampshire , Vermont , and New York all the path to the west , in Washington , Idaho , and Montana .
Burrowing Owl
Athene cunicularia
Size:7.5 - 9.8 in ( 19 - 25 cm )
These pocket-size owl populate in grassland and desert where they enjoy feed on insect , small mammal , and reptiles . burrow hooter are among only a handful of owl that favour to track down during the daytime , drop their nights tuck aside in their hideout . When burrows are not available to them , these extremely adaptable birds make their homes in buckets , tobacco pipe , and tube . Burrowing owl have a high tolerance for carbon dioxide than other snort , enable them to expend more time huddled up in a modest outer space . These birds smartly use dung to carpet their dens , which invites insect to see , providing the snort with an easy repast . tunnel owls have also been known to lay away shiny objects , such as bottleful cap , paper clips , and bits of atomic number 50 foil .
Burrowing bird of Minerva have farseeing legs and an upright military posture . They also have vivid icteric center and although their red - brownish plumage resemble both the barred and circumboreal owls , the fact that they last on the ground work it soft to distinguish between these species . burrow bird of Minerva are pretty quiet , with male give rise luxuriously - pitch “ coo - coo ” to defend their territories and attract match .
As their name suggests , burrowing owls make their homes in underground burrow , usually leave behind by prairie dog . you may find burrowing bird of Minerva year - round throughout the southwest , preponderantly in California , Arizona , New Mexico , and Texas . However , this owl ’s breeding range stretch forth much farther north , up to Washington , Montana , and North Dakota .
Great Horned Owl
genus Bubo virginianus
Size:18 - 26 in . ( 46 - 63 cm )
Far from meek , Great Horned owls have been known to run other dame of prey , admit ospreys , peregrines , and even other owls . With their strong talons , these birds can maintain 28 - lbf. of force play allowing them to undertake larger quarry . with child orned owls are a major threat to other Bronx cheer , especially jays and crows . In fact , if you ever hear a large chemical group of these birds make a bustle , there ’s a good hazard it ’s because a great horned hooter has start too close to their nests . The great horned bird of Minerva ’s plumage is ultra - easy , and this allow for the animal with several benefits . For starters , it protects them from the rough low temperature . But it also muffles sound , allow them to fell silently as they swoop down on their prey . Interestingly , although the females of the coinage are enceinte than the males , female person have higher - pitched voices , and mat pairs often synchronize their call .
The great horned owl is well identified by a matching pair of tufts on either side of its oral sex , giving it a horned appearance . They have gray to red - brown barred plumage and golden yellow-bellied eyes that do not move within the socket . These bird can splay their heads 180 point to see and hear what ’s going on around them . Facial feather saucer help unmediated soundwaves to their ears , allowing them to track their target , and their wide wings enable them to fly dextrously , with serrated primary feather pass around turbulence and indulgent feathers muffling speech sound .
These magnificent bird of Minerva can be bump in every state in the nation except Hawaii . These owls are native to the Americas , and they ’re highly adaptable , dwell in forested , rural , and urban areas likewise . While you ’re nonimmune to see a great horned owl just about anywhere , keep your eye peel near wooded areas , peculiarly along treelines as these bird like to rest near exposed fields to find their target .
Long-Eared Owl
Asio otus
Size:14 - 16 in . ( 35 - 40 cm )
At 15 inch in duration and with an telling wingspan of 39 inches , the long - eared owl has been known to steal nests away from jay and crows to raise their own young . This middling elusive hooter can be sturdy to receive , preferring to seek protection in dense timberland . And , regrettably , its universe has reject 91 % since 1970 . Unlike most owls , long - eared owls are not very territorial and prefer to trust on their camouflage to hide from possible vulture . When face up , most long - eared bird of night but fly by . Because these birds can be spooky , they can be tough for birdwatchers to give chase down . But if you are lucky enough to discern a long - eared owl , keep your eyes peel for more — long - eared hooter roost in radical of 6 to 50 .
At first glance , the long - eared owl greatly resemble the great horned owl . But a closer inspection reveals that long - eared hooter possess a distinctive V - shape feather pattern on their brass . The tuft of feathers that make up their face magnetic disk surround bright orange eyes , giving them a surprised facial expression . The 2d circle of feather tuft sitting on top of their forefront pass them their iconic long - eared appearing These are gangly razz that have tan face with variegated plume in shades of brown , tan , gray , and white .
Long - eared hooter live year - round in Wyoming , Nevada , Colorado , Arizona , New York , Michigan , and Wisconsin . During the breeding season , these bird stake farther north to Montana , North Dakota , and Minnesota . These birds can be spotted in all but the southernmost lot of Florida , Alabama , Mississippi , Louisiana , and Texas . Long - eared owls favor to live in undefended spaces that have dense clusters of spread out trees , provide them with a dependable place to assay shelter as they hunt for small mammals .
How to Attract Minnesota Owls to Your Backyard
While some bird of night , like the boreal owl and the whiskered screaming - owl , quash humans and can be tough to feel , other owls , like the barred owl and easterly and westerly screech - owls , are much easier to attract .
Installnesting boxeson trees , poles , and fence to encourage your neighborhood owls to take up abidance on your property . bequeath brushing , wood hatful , and sure-enough lawn trimmings provides homes for vole , field mice , rabbits , gophers , andsnakes . receive plenteousness of these critters nearby is a surefire way to get your local bird of Minerva ’ attention .
Because many bird of Minerva like to course onsongbirdsandsquirrels , setting up a bird self-feeder andgetting a shuttle bathcan also encourage owls to give you a sojourn . Of naturally , some bird work to dash owls off . jay , crows , blackbirds , crow blackbird , and starlings regularly mob owls , so take measures to scare these Bronx cheer away — take down starling nesting boxes , and remove crack Zea mays and peanuts from your confluent , which are the preferent foods of these hiss .
Owls eff to sit on poles and in leafless trees because they make it easier for them to blemish fair game . Make trusted your bird of night have deal of spots to light on . you may also attract these birds by limiting your outdoor activity , especially in the early forenoon and late eve hours when they wish to hunt . Together , all of these bill will help your vicinity hooter find right at house in your backyard .
All State Owls
Want to see what bird of Minerva specie are regain in other states ? Here ’s our complete listing of bird of Minerva found in each state :
