OWLS OF THE WORLD

Across our planet there are 192 species of owls split between two families, the "typical owls" strigidae of which there are 172 species and the "barn-owls" tytonidae of which there are just 20 (source Wells, World Bird Species Checklist, published by Worldlist 1998) Click here for a complete list of every species of owl known to science.

Owls have a strong presence in human folklore and are most notably respected for their fabled wisdom. The greek goddess Athene was a goddess of wisdom and was represented by a Little Owl (Athene noctua) to which she gave her name as well as to the city of Athens. The Little Owl (see photo below) is found in a wide variety of habitats, from the semi-deserts of North Africa into the woods and grasslands of Europe and Asia.

When it comes to taking an owl photo you need to be dedicated, lucky and a great photographer. Nigel Blake is all of these - read how he managed to take a series of stunning photos of the night owls of south-east england. With beautiful pictures of Barn Owl, Tawny Owl and Little Owl, Britain's favourite owls have been captured on the web for all to enjoy - including this stunning in flight shot. (Click here to visit Nigel's owls).

The surfbirds website is the website for rare bird news and photos with almost daily updates from the US and UK. Owls feature in these updates on a regular basis so if you want to see rare owls in the wild this is the place. Just look at what's been turning up this winter on either side of the pond.

Winter 2000/01 - United States - pictures of Northern Hawk Owl (another image below), Great Gray Owl, Boreal Owl and Snow Owl (click on each of the months, October 2000, December 2000, January 2001, February 2001)

Spring 2001 - United Kingdom - picture of Scops Owl in Shetland

For most of us owls provide endless fascination because of their incredible hearing, nite eyesight and ability to swivel their head ! In evolutionary terms, all these attributes have arisen for a reason. David Attenborough in 'The Life of Birds' explains why...

"The Great Grey Owl that lives in the dark cold coniferous forest of the north has the most sensitive of ears. the range of frequencies it can hear is such the same as ours, but its sensistivity over that range is very much greater and it can detect sounds so faint that thet are completely inaudible to us. It has two lage ruffs on either side of its face, formed from fine-like hair feathers that collect the soundwaves and deflect them into its ears....Furthermore its ears are not symmetrically placed on its head. One is higher than the other. The owl is thus able to listen in super-stereo and can locate the sound with great accuracy, even if it cannot see the creature that is making it.

The Great Grey Owl has to depend primarily on its hearing, not only because the snow conceals its prey but because for half of the year, the Arctic forests are in partial or complete darkness. Farther south, owls can use their eyes for hunting. .....The bigger the eye, the more light it can gather....The Scops Owl which hunts in European and Asiatic forests, has such enormous eyes that they cannot revolve in their sockets. If it wants to look to one side, it has to turn its whole head. Owls are particularly good at that. They have a neck joint that allows them to turn right round and stare directly behind them if they wish."

You can find out more about the life of owls by buying 'The Life of Birds' by David Attenborough through the surfbirds bookstore in association with Amazon. Click here to enter the surfbirds bookstore.

If you are an owl fanatic you might also like to consider reading "I heard the Owl call my name", by Margaret Craven. A beautifully crafted story about a young priest sent by his bishop to live with a remote indian community in British Columbia. Again you can buy this book through our bookstore.

Many active birders either go in search of owls or are lucky enough to find owls on trips abroad. If you'd like to read more about different birding trips and the owls found, then browse through our extensive library of trip reports . To start you off on your 'wise owl' quest, here's a few recommendations:

Western Alaska: Phil Davies

"At Hutchinson Hill, a Snowy Owl was spotted sitting eerily on a single isolated gravestone, offering us a great view and photo opportunity"

(click here for Phil's full trip report and photo of the "white" owl).

Finland: Simon Woolley recently travelled to Finland in search of owls. Here's an extract from his full trip report:

"Within 20 minutes, we were at a Tengmalm's Owl nest box, and Ulla had lured the female to the hole....and within half an hour, we were at a second nest box, this one containing a Ural Owl. Pretty sharpish, we glimpsed the male bird in nearby trees - and at that point we stopped! Ural Owls are known as being ultra aggressive at the nest, and this chap was looking pretty narky! He was bobbing and lowering his head as he barked a warning at us........After a coffee break, it was on into the interior for Great Grey Owl. We had to walk a good hour or so into the forest...... And there was the nest! The huge female allowed close approach and inspection on the big stick nest, constructed on a platform. Wonderful!

By the time we got back to the van, it was mid afternoon. We had one site left, for Pygmy Owl. Again, there was the nest box, but Pygmies don't respond like Tengmalm's - we had to find the male who would be somewhere nearby......."

To find out whether Simon was successful, click here

Arizona: Alex Lees gets more than he bargains for on a trip to South-east Arizona (click here)...

"Leaving Costa Mesa at 2.45pm, 540 miles, 10 Lesser Nighthawks, 8 Burrowing Owls and one..........After a two mile walk the stream crossed the trail again and I clambered over the boulders for 50 yards downstream, set up the scope and looked straight into the eyes of a Spotted Owl, roosting not 30 feet away".

Sweden: Simon Woolley - this time in Sweden for Pygmy Owl.

"Perhaps 30 seconds passed, and then there it was, perched up in the top of a spruce! Superb. The Pygmy Owl was having a hard time (as usual, apparently), surrounded by a halo of mobbing passerines. But he gave a fantastic display, flying about, calling, bobbing and weaving and waving his tail. A really brilliant bird!"

To read the rest of Simon's swedish adventure, click here

Chobe River - Botswana: read about one Barn Owl's amazing choice of nest from wildlife photographer Nigel Blake's recent trip to southern Africa (click here)

Australia: Tony Clarke goes birding with the late Phoebe Snetsinger in Australia (click here for full report)

"We then had our first try for one of our target species, Lesser Sooty Owl, which like two years ago seemed as if it was going to be difficult. ...... During dinner yesterday evening Sue informed us that she had been given some information concerning another of our target species, Masked Owl. This had apparently been seen on a couple of occasions in the vicinity of the Birthday Creek car park near Paluma.........It was a real experience to spend an evening in the company of this extraordinary man and I am glad to have had the pleasure of meeting somebody who is a real master of his art, finding owls. With John we saw 6 species of owl, 2 species of Nightjar, 1 species of Frogmouth and heard Owlet-Nightjar, and all this in just a few hours."

Spain: Geir Karlsen describes the delight amongst a group of birders finding Eagle Owl in the Portilla del Tietar (click here for full report)

"....suddenly we heard great excitement from a Belgian or German birder and seconds later we saw the Eagle Owl flying along the ridge.... My brother found a second bird..."

This Indian Great Horned Owl features in a piece on a great new birding website on Indian birds (click here). Finding an owl in broad daylight is an incredible experience.

Complete list of owl species known to science:

Family "Tytonidae"- the Barn Owls:

Madagascar Red Owl - Tyto soumagnei
(Common) Barn Owl - Tyto alba
Australian Barn Owl - Tyto delicatula
Galapagos Barn Owl - Tyto punctatissima
Ashy-faced Barn Owl - Tyto glaucops
Sulawesi (Masked) Owl - Tyto rosenbergi
Taliabu (Masked) Owl - Tyto nigrobrunnea
Minahassa (Masked) Owl - Tyto inexpectata
Lesser Masked Owl - Tyto sororcula
Manus Masked Owl - Tyto manusi
(Australian) Masked Owl - Tyto novaehollandiae
New Guinea Masked Owl - Tyto calabyi
Tasmanian Masked Owl - Tyto castanops
New Britain Barn Owl - Tyto aurantia
Greater Sooty Owl - Tyto tenebricosa
Lesser Sooty Owl - Tyto multipunctata
African Grass Owl - Tyto capensis
Australasian Grass Owl - Tyto longimembris
(Oriental) Bay Owl - Phodilus badius
Congo (Bay) Owl - Phodilus prigoginei

Family "Strigidae" - the Typical Owls

White-faced Scops Owl - Ptilopsis leucota
White-fronted Scops Owl - Otus sagittatus
Reddish Scops Owl - Otus rufescens
Cinnamon Scops Owl - Otus icterorhynchus
Sokoke Scops Owl - Otus ireneae
(Spotted) Mountain Scops Owl - Otus spilocephalus
Andaman Scops Owl - Otus balli
Mindanao Scops Owl - Otus mirus
Sulawesi Scops Owl - Otus manadensis
Javan Scops Owl - Otus angelinae
Simeulue Scops Owl - Otus umbra
Enggano Scops Owl - Otus enganensis
Sao Tome Scops Owl - Otus hartlaubi
Luzon Scops Owl - Otus longiconis
Mindoro Scops Owl - Otus mindorensis
Striated Scops Owl - Otus brucei
Flammulated Scops Owl - Otus flammeolus
African Scops Owl - Otus senegalensis
(Eurasian) Scops Owl - Otus scops
Oriental Scops Owl - Otus sunia
Elegant Scops Owl - Otus elegans
Mantanani Scops Owl - Otus mantananenis
Moluccan Scops Owl - Otus magicus
Flores Scops Owl - Otus alfredi
Anjouan Scops Owl - Otus capnoides
Madagascar Scops Owl - Otus rutilus
Comoro Scops Owl - Otus pauliani
Pemba Scops Owl - Otus pembaensis
Rajah Scops Owl - Otus brookii
Indian Scops Owl - Otus bakkamoena
Philippine Scops Owl - Otus megalotis
Palawan Scops Owl - Otus fuliginosus
Mentawi Scops Owl - Otus mentawi
Wallace's Scops Owl - Otus silvicola
Biak Island Scops Owl - Otus beccarii
Bare-legged Scops Owl - Otus insularis
Eastern Screech Owl - Otus asio
Western Screech Owl - Otus kennicotti
Balsas Screech Owl - Otus seductus
Pacific Screech Owl - Otus cooperi
Whiskered (Screech-) Owl - Otus trichopsis
Tropical Screech Owl - Otus choliba
Long-tufted Screech Owl - Otus sanctaecatarinae
Peruvian Screech Owl - Otus roboratus
Maria Koepcke's Screech Owl - Otus koepckeae
Bare-shanked Screach Owl - Otus clarkii
Bearded Screech Owl - Otus barbarus
Cloud-forest Screech Owl - Otus marshalli
Rufescent Screech Owl - Otus ingens
Columbian Screech Owl - Otus columbianus
Cinnamon Screech Owl - Otus petersoni
Tawny-bellied Screech Owl - Otus watsoni
Austral Screech Owl - Otus usta
Variable Screech Owl - Otus atricapillus
Vermiculated Screech Owl - Otus vermiculatus
Puerto Rican Screech Owl - Otus nudipes
Bare-legged Screech Owl - Otus lawrencii
Palau Owl - Otus podarginus
White-throated Screech Owl - Otus albogularis
Mindanao Eagle Owl - Mimizuku gurneyi
Great Horned Owl - Bubo virgianus
(Eurasian) Eagle Owl - Bubo bubo
Pharoh's Eagle Owl - Bubo ascalaphus
Indian Eagle Owl - Bubo bengalensis
Cape Eagle Owl - Bubo capensis
Spotted Eagle Owl - Bubo africanus
Fraser's Eagle Owl - Bubo poensis
Usambara Eagle Owl - Bubo vosseleri
Spot-bellied Eagle Owl - Bubo nipalensis
Barred Eagle Owl - Bubo sumatranus
Shelley's Eagle Owl - Bubo shelleyi
Vereaux's Eagle Owl - Bubo lacteus
Dusky Eagle Owl - Bubo coromandus
Akun Eagle Owl - Bubo leucostictus
Philippine Eage Owl - Bubo philippensis
Blakiston's Fish Owl - Ketupa blackistoni
Brown Fish Owl - Ketupa zeylonensis
Tawny Fish Owl - Ketupa flavipes
Buffy Fish Owl - Ketupa ketupa
Pel's Fishing Owl - Scotopelia peli
Rufous Fishing Owl - Scotopelia ussheri
Vermiculated Fishing Owl - Scotopelia bouvieri
Snow(y) Owl - Nyctea scandiaca
Maned Owl - Lophostrix letti
Crested Owl - Lophostrix crista
Spectacled Owl - Pulsatrix perspicillata
Tawny-browed Owl - Pulsatrix koeniswaldiana
Band-bellied Owl - Pulsatrix melanota
Spotted Wood Owl - Strix seloputo
Mottled Wood Owl - Strix ocellata
Brown Wood Owl - Strix leptogrammica
(Eurasian) Tawny Owl - Strix aluco
Hume's (Tawny) Owl - Strix's butleri
Barred Owl - Strix varia
Fulvous Owl - Strix fulvescens
Spotted Owl - Strix occidentalis
Ural Owl - Strix uralensis
Sichuan Wood Owl - Strix davidi
Great Grey Owl - Strix nebulosa
Rusty-barred Owl - Strix hylophila
Rufous-legged Owl - Strix rufipes
African Wood Owl - Strix woodfordii
Mottled Owl - Strix virgata
Black and White Owl - Strix nigrilineata
Black-banded Owl - Strix huhula
Rufous-banded Owl - Strix albitarsus
(Northern) Hawk Owl - Surnia ulula
Collared (Pygmy) Owlet - Glaucidium brodiei
European Pygmy Owl - Glaucidium passerinum
Pearl-spotted Owlet - Glaucidium perlatum
Northern Pygmy Owl - Glaucidium gnoma
Californian Pygmy Owl - Glaucidium californicum
Least Pygmy Owl - Glaucidium minutissimum
Ferruginous Pygmy Owl - Glaucidium brasilianum
Austral Pygmy Owl - Glaucidium nanum
Andean Pygmy Owl - Glaucidium jardinii
Hardy's Pygmy Owl - Glaucidium hardyi
Peruvian Pygmy Owl - Glaucidium peruanum
Yungas Pygmy Owl - Glaucidium bolivianum
Cuban Pygmy Owl - Glaucidium siju
Red-chested Owlet - Glaucidium tephronotum
Sjostedt's (Barred) Owlet - Glaucidium sjostedi
Jungle Owlet - Glaucidium radiatum
Chestnut-backed Owlet - Glaucidium castanonotus
(Aisan) Barred Owlet - Glaucidium cuculoides
Javan Owlet - Glaucidium castanopterum
African Barred Owlet - Glaucidium capense
Ngami Owlet - Glaucidium ngamiense
Chestnut (Barred) Owlet - Glaucidium castaneum
Prigogine's Owlet - Glaucidium albertinum
Eastern Barred Owlet - Glaucidium scheffleri
Long-whiskered Owlet - Xenoglaux loweryi
Elf Owl - Micrathene whitneyi
Little Owl - Athene noctua
Spotted Owlet - Athene brama
Forest Owlet - Athene blewetti
Burrowing Owl - Speotyto cunicularia
Boreal Owl - Aegolius funereus
Northern Saw-whet Owl - Aegolius acadius
Unspotted Saw-whet Owl - Aegolius ridgwayi
Buff-fronted Owl - Aegolius harrisii
Papuan Hawk Owl - Uroglaux dimorpha
Rufous (Hawk) Owl - Ninox rufa
Powerful Owl - Ninox strenua
Barking (Hawk) Owl - Ninox connivens
Southern Boobook - Ninox boobook
Morepork - Ninox novaeseelandiae
Sumba Boobook (Owl) - Ninox rudolfi
Brown Hawk Owl - Ninox scutulata
Andaman (Brown) Hawk Owl - Ninox affinis
White-browed (Hawk) Owl - Ninox superciliaris
Philippine Hawk Owl - Ninox philippensis
Spotted Hawk Owl - Ninox spilonota
Tweeddale's Hawk Owl - Ninox spilocephala
Ochre-bellied Hawk Owl - Ninox ochracea
Moluccan Hawk Owl - Ninox squamipila
Jungle Hawk Owl - Ninox theomacha
Manus Hawk Owl - Ninox meeki
Speckled Hawk Owl - Ninox punctulata
Bismark Hawk Owl - Ninox variegata
New Britain Hawk Owl - Ninox odiosa
Solomon (Islands) Hawk Owl - Ninox jacquinoti
White-faced Owl - Sceloglaux albifacies
Striped Owl - Asio clamator
(Common) Long-eared Owl - Asio otus
Stygian Owl - Asio stygius
African Long-eared Owl - Asio abyssinicus
Madagascar (Long-eared) Owl - Asio madagascariensis
Jamaican Owl - Pseudoscops grammicus
Short-eared Owl - Asio flammeus
Marsh Owl - Asio capensis
Fearful Owl - Nesasio solomonensis

(source Wells, World Bird Species Checklist, published by Worldlist 1998)