Types of Owls
North America’s owls run from the sparrow-sized Northern Saw-whet to the two-foot Great Horned. Most hunt strictly at night, which is why you hear far more owls than you ever see. Learn the calls and you will find them. Here are the owls in the Huck field guide, each with how to identify it, what it eats, and where it has been spotted.
22 owls in the Huck field guide. Tap any one for identification, habitat, diet, and a live sightings map.
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Get Huck - freeCommon questions
What is the most common owl in North America?
The Great Horned Owl is the most widespread, living from Alaska to the tip of South America in nearly every habitat. In towns and suburbs the Eastern and Western Screech-Owls are often the owls calling from backyard trees, even where people never see them.
How do you identify an owl you can only hear?
Call is often the fastest ID. A deep, evenly spaced "hoo-hoo-hooooo" is usually a Great Horned; a rhythmic "who cooks for you" is a Barred Owl; a descending whinny is an Eastern Screech-Owl. Each owl page below includes its voice.