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Nothing is more exciting than spotting an bird of night in your backyard if you endure in South Carolina . These brilliant birds of prey are a beautiful peck to behold . If you ’re an zealous birdwatcher , you ’re credibly eager to key out which types of hooter are travel to your belongings .
There are 7 owl species found in South Carolina , including the Barn Owl , Great Horned Owl , Eastern Screech - Owl , Long - Eared Owl , Short - Eared Owl , Barred Owl , and Northern Saw - Whet Owl . While several of these owl species have their preferred mating and migratory reach , it ’s potential to spot a aimless or erupt owl in areas outside their know territories . If you see an bird of night in South Carolina that is not on this list , think yourself lucky !
Legend for the following owl rangemaps
The legend below can be used to help you mold where each of the 7 hooter of South Carolina hold out during unlike role of the yr .
The 7 Species of Owls in South Carolina
Barn Owl
Tyto alba
Order : order Strigiformes
Family : Tytonidae
Legend for the following owl rangemaps
Size:12.5 - 16 in . ( 32 - 40 centimetre )
well recognized by their pale heart - shaped faces , barn owls are some of the most widespread hooter in the world . These owl thrive in deserts and grasslands , but can even be find in polar neighborhood . Barn owls are especially usual on farm , where they care to hunt for field of operation mice among the crops in the morning and eventide , and where they can take tax shelter in b during the daytime . With their serrated wings , these horrendous predators aviate soundlessly as they go in for the kill . Barn owls are monogamous , mating for life . They do not build nests but prefer to repose their eggs in the hollows of tree . The amount of food these birds get has a direct shock on how many egg they lay — the more voles , rats , and shrews they consume , the more owlets in their brood .
Barn owls are quite gangling compare to other bird of night . They have great hazel to brownish eyes go down in concave , heart - shaped expression that are surrounded by a delicate outline of wan brown feathers . Barn bird of Minerva are Milk River white in color with tan and rust brown feathers on their back and wing . These hooter do not hoot but instead opt to communicate via screeches .
you could find the barn bird of night in all but the topmost part of the U.S. Even though these raspberry are vulgar throughout the nation , their population is dwindle somewhat due to habitation loss . Barn bird of Minerva reside twelvemonth - round as far in the south as Texas and Arizona , as far east as Pennsylvania , and all across the Pacific Northwest .
Great Horned Owl
Bubo virginianus
Family : Strigidae
Size:18 - 26 in . ( 46 - 63 cm )
Far from meek , Great Horned owls have been known to hunt down other birds of prey , including osprey , peregrines , and even other owl . With their solid talons , these hiss can maintain 28 - pounds of force allowing them to take on larger target . corking orned bird of night are a major scourge to other birds , especially Jay and Corvus . In fact , if you ever see a large group of these birds make a trouble , there ’s a good chance it ’s because a great horned bird of night has gotten too close to their nests . The expectant tusk owl ’s plume is ultra - soft , and this provides the animals with several benefits . For starters , it protects them from the abrasive cold . But it also muffles sound , permit them to vanish silently as they swoop down on their quarry . Interestingly , although the females of the species are larger than the males , females have higher - pitched voice , and mated twosome often synchronize their calls .
The bang-up horn bird of Minerva is easy name by a matching duad of tufts on either side of its head , give it a tusk coming into court . They have gray to red - brown barred feather and gold yellow eye that do not move within the socket . These birds can rotate their heads 180 degree to see and hear what ’s proceed on around them . Facial plume discs help verbatim soundwaves to their ears , allowing them to track their prey , and their across-the-board wing enable them to vanish deftly , with serrate basal feathers pass around turbulency and soft feather tone down speech sound .
These magnificent owls can be obtain in every res publica in the nation except Hawaii . These owl are native to the Americas , and they ’re highly adaptable , dwelling in forested , rural , and urban areas alike . While you ’re nonresistant to see a nifty horned owl just about anywhere , keep your eye peeled near wooded field , particularly along treelines as these birds care to perch near open William Claude Dukenfield to find their prey .
Eastern Screech-Owl
Megascops asio
Size:6 - 10 in . ( 16 - 25 atomic number 96 )
Featuring 5 race , eastern screech - hooter are small birds maxing out at just under 10 - inches in length . These owls are monogamous and less skittish than other owls , oft living in nesting box and even using birdbaths to lave up . Eastern screech - owls are typically easy to spot because they feed on songbird during the daytime . This little raptor ’s size prove deceptive . These are extremely territorial bird , even from a unseasoned age . Young eastern screech - owls will fight amongst themselves for food , and may even kill the low and weakest of their sibling — an act bang as siblicide that is coarse in chick of quarry .
easterly screech - owls are little , thick raspberry with small head and satisfying tails . These owls occur in grey-haired morphs and red ( or rufous ) morphs , with some owls exhibiting chocolate-brown feather . The semblance of each eastern screech - owl depends on the eccentric of woodland it resides in , as its colouring helps to camouflage it from potential piranha . These are very outspoken owls that use trill calls to pull in mates and communicate with their families . Their distinctive nicker - same screeches are arduous to miss !
easterly screech - bird of Minerva choose to live in forests but are often happy to go in urban area , too . you may get the eastern screech - bird of night from Vermont to Montana , in a broad range sweeping all the way down to Texas and back across the state to Florida . These birds can be found in wooded , rural , and suburban preferences .
Long-Eared Owl
Asio genus Otus
Size:14 - 16 in . ( 35 - 40 cm )
At 15 inches in duration and with an impressive wingspan of 39 inches , the long - eared owl has been live to slip nests aside from John Jay and crow to bring up their own immature . This somewhat elusive owl can be sturdy to find , prefer to seek shelter in dumb woodlands . And , regrettably , its population has declined 91 % since 1970 . Unlike most owls , long - eared hooter are not very territorial and prefer to rely on their camouflage to hide from potential marauder . When confront , most long - eared owls simply take flight away . Because these wench can be skittish , they can be rugged for birdwatchers to pass over down . But if you are lucky enough to tell apart a long - eared bird of night , keep your eyes disrobe for more — long - eared owls roost in groups of 6 to 50 .
At first coup d’oeil , the long - eared bird of night greatly resemble the with child horned hooter . But a close inspection reveals that long - eared owls possess a classifiable V - shape feather pattern on their faces . The tufts of feathers that make up their face disks border bright orange oculus , give way them a surprised grammatical construction . The 2nd set of feather tufts sitting on top of their heads contribute them their iconic long - eared appearance These are rangy hiss that have tan faces with variegated plumage in refinement of brown , tan , grey , and white .
Long - eared owls live year - round in Wyoming , Nevada , Colorado , Arizona , New York , Michigan , and Wisconsin . During the upbringing season , these birds venture farther northerly to Montana , North Dakota , and Minnesota . These razzing can be blob in all but the southernmost portion of Florida , Alabama , Mississippi , Louisiana , and Texas . Long - eared owls prefer to live in open blank that have dumb clusters of disperse trees , provide them with a secure place to seek protection as they hunt for minor mammal .
Short-eared Owl
Asio flammeus
Size:14.5 - 15 in . ( 37 - 38 cm )
A classic birdwatcher favorite , unforesightful - eared owls hunt club during the daytime and can be line up throughout the United States . These owl are some of the few that favour to build up their own nests . female construct their bowl - shape nests in the reason , lining them with feathers , Grass , and other easy materials before laying clutches of 4 to 7 ballock . Short - eared owls have very distinctive flight patterns , with irregular wingbeats interchangeable to that of squash racquet or moth . These birds are typically 17 column inch in length and have wingspans of up to 43 inches . They use their knock-down wing to abide upright as they pounce feet - first to enamor their prey , which consists of small mammals , rodents , reptiles , and amphibians . Short - eared bird of Minerva sometimes dine on songbirds and will pluck the wings off before swallowing them whole .
The ear tufts of the curtly - eared owl are situated towards the centre of their read/write head , and they ’re so poor that sometimes they may not be seeable at all . shortly - eared bird of Minerva have tawny plume on their back and wing with tan belly that are interspersed with vertical drab dark-brown streaks . Tailfeathers are barricade . These owls have small , circular faces with pallid tan to creamy bloodless facial saucer accented by black - brimmed lily-livered heart . suddenly - eared owl use acute “ waowk - waowk - waowk ” yell to put across and “ eeee - yerp ” cries during the sexual union time of year .
first-class long - distance circular , short - eared owls have been describe shoot down on vessel C of miles from shore . These wench will fly over the sea and demesne to reach their breeding primer coat in northern Canada . you’re able to receive short - eared bird of night live class - round in the north and northwestern lot of the United States . But , because they travel regularly , you could discern stragglers in well-nigh every state in the nation . These birds prefer to dwell in undetermined areas , including grassland , Marsh , and farmland .
Barred Owl
genus Strix varia
Size:19 - 22 in . ( 48.25 - 56 cm )
Masters of camouflage , block up owls can be toughened to spot . Fortunately , their loud hoot song “ Who cooks for you ? Who fake for you all ? ” are easy to hear . Barred hooter prefer to dwell in forests where they can get over down rabbits , squirrels , and even raccoons . These owl witness a serious population windfall in the 20th century , extend their range to let in forestland in the western states . Barred bird of Minerva be given to remain close to home throughout their lives , often only traveling around a 6 - mile r . Like barn hooter , barred owls are monogamous and do most of their hunting at night .
With their deep browned center and aristocratic round cheek , barred owls await exactly as you would ask hooter to calculate . These birds are cover in red - browned plumage with livid horizontal stripes or bars . Barred owl are most commonly fleck on the edges of wood at dusk , where they can easily settle their prey .
Once relegated to southeastern Canada and New England , the barred owl expanded westward . These owls can now be found in persona of Minnesota , Nebraska , Kansas , and Oklahoma . bar owls have become quite adaptable , and can be descry in urban areas as well as rural regions . These birds are extremely territorial , with paired distich getting into hoot matches with outsiders to defend their home .
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Aegolius acadicus
Size:8 - 8.5 in . ( 20.3 - 21.5 cm )
These owl are inadequate and compact . At just 8 inches in length and with a wingspan of 22 inches , northern saw - whet hooter are among the smallest bird of night in the United States . Northern proverb - whet owls like to prey on cervid mouse , using their penetrating beaks to tear their prey into smaller composition , breaking up a individual black eye into several meals . Because these bird of night are nocturnal , and because they ’re so small , they can be hard to tail . But their acuate cries make it easier to locate them in their forest domicile . Northern proverb - whet bird of night are mostly solitary creatures , only socializing with their mates . Females have been known to have two mate , leaving the first to raise a brood with the 2nd . These hooter have porphyrin pigment in their feathering , and when illuminated with a ultraviolet light lightness , the ventral side of the wings show a Ne pinkish color . This helps research worker fix an owl ’s old age .
call because its call sounds like a byword being sharpened on a whetstone , power saw - whet bird of Minerva have small head word and cat - like typeface with relatively big yellow eyes . With rust fungus - colourise backs , breast , and wings , northern saw - whet owls have spotted heads and distinctive Y - shaped marking on their side . These bird of night expend a variety of vocalizations to pass along . They ’re most easily identified by their shrill “ too - too - too ” calls , which they use to draw in mates . The cries of northern sawing machine - whet bird of Minerva are so loud that they can be heard nearly 1,000 foot aside .
One of the most common owls in the U.S. , the northern saw - whet prefers to consist in mountain forests . They can be found year - round in California , New Mexico , Utah , and Colorado , and in the northeasterly states , Minnesota , Wisconsin , Michigan , New York , and all the direction through to Maine . These owls can be seen in other territories , too , during non - breeding times . It ’s not unheard of to see northerly power saw - whet bird of night throughout the midwestern United States , include Kansas , Missouri , and Illinois .
How to Attract South Carolina Owls to Your Backyard
While some owls , like the boreal owl and the barbate screech - owl , avoid world and can be sturdy to find , other owls , like the bar owl and eastern and western screech - owls , are much easier to attract .
Installnesting boxeson trees , pole , and fences to encourage your neighborhood hooter to take up residence on your holding . Leaving copse , Sir Henry Wood quite a little , and previous lawn trimmings render homes for field mouse , field mice , rabbits , gophers , andsnakes . Having muckle of these critters nearby is a surefire way to get your local owls ’ attention .
Because many bird of Minerva wish to feed onsongbirdsandsquirrels , fix up a hiss feeder andgetting a bird bathcan also encourage owl to compensate you a visit . Of course , some birds shape to scare owls off . Jay , Crow , blackbirds , hill myna , and starlings on a regular basis mob owls , so take measure to scare these bird away — take down starling nesting box , and remove crock up corn and peanut vine from your feeder , which are the pet foods of these shuttle .
bird of Minerva love to sit on magnetic pole and in leafless trees because they make it easy for them to spot target . ensure your owls have plenty of spots to roost on . you’re able to also attract these wench by limiting your outdoor activity , specially in the early morning and late even hours when they like to run . Together , all of these bill will help your neighborhood owls feel right at family in your backyard .
All State Owls
Want to see what owl mintage are notice in other states ? Here ’s our complete list of bird of Minerva discover in each state :
