The Blakinston's fish owl – Arguably the rarest owl in the world. The Blakinston's Fish owl, also the largest owl species is arguably the rarest owl in the world due to their widespread loss. This is due to the forests they occupy being destroyed for land development and construction projects to take place.
There's only an estimated 45-50 Norfolk Island morepork owls left on the planet and national staff and researchers were ecstatic with the new owls. Director of National Parks James Findlay said this was significant news for the recovery of the Norfolk Island morepork owl population.
Barn owls (Tyto alba) are undoubtedly some of the cutest birds around. They have pale-colored feathers, long wings, and a square-shaped tail. They have cute feathered legs, a heart-shaped face, and dark, black eyes. Many barn owls have speckled patterns in various colors.
Great grey owls are slightly longer in the body, and Blakiston's fish owls are very close in weight, but only the Eurasian eagle owl boasts a six-and- a-half foot wingspan. These owls have bright orange eyes, which indicates that they are crepuscular, or active at dawn and dusk.
In the United States, Great Gray Owls are at the southern limits of their range and are uncommon, but they are fairly common throughout their Holarctic range.
Traditionally found in more arctic areas like the tundra, snowy owls are exceedingly scarcely seen as less then 30,000 are believed to remain across the world.
Great Horned Owls are covered in extremely soft feathers that insulate them against the cold winter weather and help them fly very quietly in pursuit of prey.
The elf owl (Micrathene whitneyi) is a small grayish-brown owl about the size of a sparrow found in the Southwestern United States, central Mexico, and the Baja California peninsula. It has pale yellow eyes highlighted by thin white "eyebrows" and a gray bill with a horn-colored tip.
Owl breeds shown within the Harry Potter books include the eagle owl (large, tufted and fierce-looking, owned by Draco Malfoy); the Little Owl (tiny, cute, but perhaps not very impressive, like Pigwidgeon, owned by Ron); and the Snowy Owl, which is also known as the Ghost Owl (Harry's Hedwig).
The Great Horned Owl is the largest owl in North America. It is sometimes called the cat owl. This widespread bird of prey lives in mountains, grasslands, conifer forests, deserts, chapparals, and many other habitats in North and South America. Its scientific name is Bubo virginianus (Genus and species).
Northern Pygmy Owl
The northern pygmy owl is not only small but also fluffy and round. You can find this owl mainly in western North America. As it resides in western forests, this owl flies fast and low from tree to tree during the day.
Elf owls are classified as endangered in California. In some areas where deforestation is occurring, elf owls face losses of breeding habitat due to the destruction of the woodpecker holes they use as nest cavities. Attempts at conservation have generally been unsuccessful up to this point.
Though classified as a species of least concern by the IUCN, elf owls are quite rare and hard to spot because of their nocturnal nature. They have never been especially numerous in California, but West Coast populations are dwindling due to habitat loss—a trend across the species' entire North American range.
The Barn Owl is considered the oldest of all owls in the world. In fact, the oldest known species of Barn Owl is 25-20 million years old.
The elf owl is the smallest owl in North America. Adults are only about 6 inches long from head to tail. Distinctive characteristics include a short tail, a V-shaped white stripe above their eyes, lack of ear tufts, and reddish-brown coloring with a vertically-striped, buff-colored breast.
Given the average age that wild barn owls usually reach, this is an impressive number! King Richard, a great horned owl at the San Francisco Zoo, reached the age of 50 years old while in captivity.
Young owls give piercing screams when begging for food, while adults may scream to defend the nest. Adults make an array of other sounds, including whistles, barks, shrieks, hisses, coos, and wavering cries.
After eluding scientists for decades, a new owl has been described: Officially a distinct species, the Príncipe scops-owl is known for its unique call and genetic make-up. It was found on Príncipe Island, a small island off the western coast of central Africa.
The Barn Owl produces virtually no sound, while the pigeon (not surprisingly) and Peregrine Falcon (more so) register heavy flapping noise.
Whereas the global population was once estimated at over 200,000 individuals, recent data suggests that there are probably fewer than 100,000 individuals globally and that the number of successful breeding pairs is 28,000 or even considerably less.
Powerful Owls are a vulnerable species often found in wooded areas, along the east coast of Australia, so to have one in the Sydney CBD area is amazing!
The Australian Barn Owl, Tyto alba, lives all across Australia. They may also pay the occasional visit to Tasmania. Fast facts: Barn owls are the most widespread land bird on Earth as they live on every continent in the world except Antarctica.