Owl Characteristics
The feather patterns or markings on owls are generally similar on both males and females for each species. Owls, particularly males, have extremely light bones, which make hunting a little easier. Male owls are usually a little smaller than the females, as is true for most raptors (birds of prey). These features make males more streamlined for hunting, and although females hunt as well, they need to be larger and heavier to incubate eggs and protect their young during nesting season.
Owls are very efficient predators. Their bodies have many characteristics which help them find and catch their prey. Read on to find out more about what makes owls such great hunters!
Eyes and Ears 
Owl eyes are oval shaped and look straight ahead. An owl can focus each eye individually to locate the exact position and distance of their prey. An owl's eyes can let in a lot of light at night; their pupils get very wide so that they can see when there are only a few stars in the sky.
Owls can actually turn their heads 360 degrees (first quickly doing a 180 turn in one direction and then in the other). Owls have fourteen bones or vertebrae in their necks to do this with - humans only have seven giving us less flexibility.
The actual ears of an owl are hidden by thin feathers that do not muffle sounds. The facial discs channel sound waves in their ears giving the owl excellent hearing!
Flight 
Owls look a lot bigger than they really are because even the smallest of owls is covered with thousands of feathers. The patterns on their wings help to camouflage owls in their habitat.
Owl wings are designed to muffle sounds. The soft-fringed edges of their feathers make the flight of an owl extremely silent. This way, the owls can hear their prey, while at the same time being able to sneak up on them.
Talons
Owls look and listen for their prey. When they are ready to ATTACK, owls open all eight (four on each foot) of their talons. These talons can grip prey very tightly so it does not escape. The grip of owl talons is so strong it paralyses prey and then the owl quickly kills with a bite to its neck.
Hunting and Feeding
More than half of all owls are night hunters. Animals that hunt at night are called "nocturnal" and daytime hunters are called "diurnal".
Owls swallow all of their smaller prey whole and tear apart what is too big to gulp down, usually into just two or three bites. Acids in their stomachs help them digest most of their prey. The bones, feathers and fur that owls can't digest is spit up or "regurgitated" in the form of pellets.
Communication
Can owls talk? Not exactly but the sounds they make are one way that owls communicate. Young owls use their voices to call their parents, adults hoot to call for their mates. Burrowing owls will actually HISS like rattlesnakes so that hungry badgers will be discouraged from coming into their nests, thinking they just might encounter a dangerous snake. Owls make different calls in different patterns for different reasons. The young learn these calls from their parents.
When they are between four and five weeks old most types of owlets leave the nest, even though they cannot fly yet! At eight weeks they are fully feathered - enough so that they can make short flights but they will stay and learn from their parents until the early fall.
By autumn, they have better hunting skills and they can leave the nest site and find a territory of their own.
The 15 Owls of British Columbia
Barn Owl ( Tyto alba )
Vulnerable Species
Barn owls nest, on the pellets that they regurgitate, in barns where they find shelter and protection from the elements and possible predators. Barn owls and farmers have a unique, symbiotic relationship in which the farmer provides roosting, foraging, and nesting areas for the Barn owls, and in return, the owls supply very effective mouse traps--themselves! A family of hungry barn owls can consume as many as 1,000 mice per year! In the spring the female may lay five-seven eggs, laying one egg every second or third day. Because barn owls lay their eggs over a few days time, the older ones get stronger more quickly and have a better chance of survival than the ones born last. Quite often, from five hatchlings, only two will survive. The ones that do survive to mate and have young are usually the strongest and their owlets inherit that strength from them.
Although Barn owls can be found almost worldwide, they are considered "vulnerable" by COSEWIC (Committee On the Status of Endangered Wildlife In Canada)and are disappearing from many parts of Canada. Barn owls have experienced a steady decline due to loss of nesting sites (fewer wooden barns and more barns made of aluminum) and habitat (wet meadows and undisturbed grasslands to forage for food). Barn owl box programs in the Fraser Valley and other regions of the province help provide nesting sights for these owls.
Barred Owl ( Strix varia )
The Barred owls' range is the moist forests of the northwest region of North America. The Barred owl has the loudest voice of all the owls and many a camper has been rudely awakened by its blood-curdling calls that sound like "Who cooks for you! Who cooks for you all!" The Barred owl is one of the most likely owls to encounter in the Lower Mainland, and may be seen nesting in Stanley Park or Lighthouse Park.
Boreal Owl ( Aegolius funereus )
A northern interior resident, the boreal owl, is named for the forest habitat it depends on, the boreal forest, look for these owls in conifer and mixed woodlands of the north. Its body shape and markings are similar to those of the saw-whet, but the boreal owl is larger and has a more sharply defined face. Its call is similar to a soft high-pitched bell or dropping water.
Burrowing Owl ( Athene cunicularia )
Endangered Species
Burrowing owls are small but fierce looking owls that live in open country, making their nests in abandoned badger and prairie dog burrows, not in trees or perches.
The Burrowing owl was extirpated (wiped out) from B.C. due to a number of human activities including (1) the poisoning of small mammals that provided burrows for nesting; (2) the use of pesticides in the south Okanagan (the northernmost point of their range) that did not just wipe out the pests but eliminated their predators, the Burrowing owls; (3) the loss of habitat.
Starting 1983, Burrowing owls have been captured from Washington state and brought to the Okanagan valley to be released. By 1986, nine artificial burrows had been built to help the owls get started with settling in here. In 1989, sixteen of the owls returned from their over-wintering habitat in the southern states to the south Okanagan to raise Thirteen young.Today, there is a Burrowing owl breading facility located in White Rock In the In the Lower Mainland. Helped by a team of dedicated volunteers, Borrowing owls are bred there and their young are released back in their native habitat. Despite all these efforts, the Burrowing owl is still an endangered species in B.C.and more still needs to be done if we are going to keep this owl in our province!
Flammulated Owl ( Otus flammeolus )
Vulnerable Species
The Flammulated owl is the smallest of the owls that lives here in B.C. and is named for the appearance of red feathers on its' head (Flammulated comes from the Greek word f lam for flame). In the spring and summer, these owls live in Ponderosa Pine and Douglas fir forests on mountain slopes in south central B.C. Flammulated owls are dependent on forest cover and cavities of dead trees (snags) for shelter and protection, especially from larger predatory owls. They migrate south as far as Mexico and Guatemala in the winter. Flammulated owls eat insects like katydids, grasshoppers, crickets. They are especially valuable to trees because they eat Western Spruce Budworm, a common pest insect.
A lot of research has been done to discover how many Flammulated owls there are in B.C. In 1984-85 between twenty-five and thirty pairs were estimated near Kelowna and Penticton. Flammulated owls are listed as "vulnerable" on the Endangered Species and Wildlife at Risk list published by COSEWIC.
Great Grey Owl ( Strix nebulosa )
At high elevations in the interior regions of British Columbia, in the dense forest of pine and fir you'll find the Great Grey owl. The largest of all the North American owls, the Great Grey has a wingspan of up to 1.5 metres. Their reliance on forest habitat has made Great Grey Owls particularly vulnerable to forestry activity and habitat loss. Fortunately, it was announced that in 1996 Great Grey owl was removed from the COSEWIC list of Endangered Species and Wildlife at Risk, where it was previously listed as "vulnerable".
Great Horned Owl ( Bubo virginianus )
The Great Horned owl is the most widespread species of owl in North America. The Great Horned also has the largest range of any owl and can even be found in tropical regions. It is also the most typical owl that comes to mind -- with large yellow eyes peering out from a broad face framed with horns. Great Horneds have a white patch on the chest which helps to differentiate them from Long Eared owls. This owl's deep, rhythmic hoots, the sounds most associated with owls, have given the Great Horned the nick name of "hoot" owl.
Coniferous forest is its primary habitat and hunting ground. The Great Horneds is one of the first owls to nest, in the spring, taking up abandoned hawk or eagle nests, or using cliffs and large tree cavities. It is a formidable predator preying mostly on rats, mice, and rabbits although is capable of taking larger prey like porcupines, skunk, cats, and even other small owls like the Pygmy or Saw-Whet owl.
Long Eared Owl ( Asio otus )
You'll have to head into the interior of B.C. to spot this owl. You can certainly see by its appearance how the Long Eared owl got its name. Along with long ear tufts, its body is also quite long, making the owl appear like a branch of a tree, keeping it hidden from other animals. Not quite as large, but often mistaken for the Great Horned owl, the Long Eared owl also has a large range encompassing the temperate regions of North America, Europe, and Africa. It exploits a habitat of mixed forest, hovering around the tree line and along streams and preys on many of the same species as the Great Horned owl.
Northern Hawk Owl ( Strix nebulosa )
Is this an owl? Aptly named the Hawk owl, this medium-sized predator of the taiga and muskeg bears a striking resemblance to its daytime counterparts - hawks. Hawk owls not only look like hawks, they fly like them too--staying low to the ground in their search for prey.
Northern Pygmy Owl ( Glaucidium gnoma )
A slightly smaller diurnal counterpart of the Saw-Whet owl is the Northern Pygmy Owl whose call is a series of mellow whistles on one pitch. The Northern Pygmy owl has a smaller and flatter head and face than the Saw-Whet and has a long tail barred with white. The Northern Pygmy owl inhabits open coniferous forest and forest edges where it hunts for much the same prey as the Saw-Whet, but also includes small reptiles and amphibians.
Saw-Whet Owl ( Aegolius acadicus )
This robin-sized owl gets its name from its mournful voice which sounds like a saw being whetted or sharpened. It is found in a variety of habitats, but mostly in cool moist coniferous forest on the Queen Charlotte Islands, the southern coast, and southern interior. Saw-Whets are also found in tall shrubs near lake shores, wetlands, hillsides and canyons, orchards, campgrounds, and city parks. It relies on forest cover for protection from larger, predatory owls and on protective tree cavities to rear its young. Its diminutive stature doesn't impact on its ability to prey on rodents including mice, chipmunks, and even bats and small songbirds. It will occasionally prey on insects as well.
Western Screech Owl ( Otus kennicottii )
This is a common small owl with distinct ear tufts. The Western Screech owls found in British Columbia are generally grey with black markings. Western Screech owls live in woodlands, groves, and shade trees. Look for this owl in tree cavities, in abandoned woodpecker holes. The Western Screech owl has a whistling call that sounds like an accelerating "bouncing ball" series.
Short Eared Owl ( Asio flammeus )
Vulnerable Species
The Short Eared Owl has a large range and can be found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. The hunting grounds of the Short Eared Owl include wetland and other foreshore areas. Waterfront development for housing and industry has replaced Short Eared habitat and is the greatest reason for its listing as a "vulnerable" species on COSEWIC's Endangered Species and Wildlife at Risk list.
Snowy Owl ( Nyctea scandiaca )
The Snowy owl is one of B.C.'s heaviest owl, averaging 2.7 kg, and is unmistakable with its round head and white plumage. It is a vagrant species, leaving the arctic in late fall and winter to visit the southern climates of B.C. and the U.S.A in search of food. Their arctic diet is almost exclusively lemmings but becomes more diverse when they are out of their normal range. While in B.C., Snowy owls have been seen in foreshore areas (especially Boundary Bay), garbage dumps, airports, fields, and meadows. Snowy owls are completely covered in feathers to keep them warm in temperatures which can be -50 degrees Celsius! To keep warm, a Snowy will face into the cold wind. The wind presses against its feathers against its body and this locks out the cold.
Spotted Owl ( Strix occidentalis )
Endangered Species
The Spotted owl is an "endangered" species in Canada. There are less 100 breeding pairs of Spotted owls in all of B.C. and about 2,000 in all of northwest North America. The ones that survive today make their homes only where there is enough OLD GROWTH forest for them to find food. Each pair of breeding Spotted owls need between 2-2,500 hectares of habitat if they are to survive. Spotted owls like the dark shelter of the great old trees and they make their nests in tree hollows or in the broken off tops of living Douglas fir trees. Spotted owl fledglings will leave the nest when they are about a month old by falling to the ground or to branches below their nest. They strengthen their talons and stretch their wings until they are ready to fly. All the while their mother guards them from bigger owls and their father forages for food.
Even though they take such care of their own, Spotted owls are one of Canada's most endangered species. Clear-cut logging has destroyed much of their habitat in Canada and the United States and more could disappear if it is not protected. Without enough old-growth habitat, the spotted owl has little chance for a safe future.
