A Parliament of Owls. David Tipling
proportion occurs only in the extreme south of the region, where biodiversity is boosted by the influence of tropical Central America. Indeed, Mexico is home to a greater number of bird species in general (± 1,040) than the United States and Canada combined, including typical Central American families such as toucans, motmots, and trogons that are thought to have originated in South America and subsequently extended their range northward.
While the first settlers may have brought with them their European ideas about owls, the indigenous peoples of North America already had a rich heritage in which owls figured prominently. The Cherokee, whose name for the Great Horned Owl—tskili—means “witch,” considered owls to be the embodiment of ghosts and as a result dreaded their nocturnal hoots as omens of evil. Others had more positive associations. For example, Sierra Nevadan Indians believed that the Great Horned Owl transported the souls of the dead to the afterlife, whereas Newuk Indians believed that after death the brave would become a Great Horned Owl but the wicked would become a Barn Owl. Pima Indians gave owl feathers to the dying, perhaps to help ease their passage into the afterlife where the owls awaited their souls. Tlingli warriors even hooted like owls as they charged into battle.
As in Eurasia, many of North America’s owls are adapted to, and thus largely restricted to, particular biomes. These follow a series of broad north to south bands. The northernmost is the Arctic tundra, which carpets much of Alaska and northern Canada, including Baffin Island, Victoria Island, Ellesmere Island, and the rest of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. This harsh, largely treeless terrain, blanketed with snow and ice in winter, is home to the Snowy Owl, a true Arctic specialist, whose circumpolar range also extends across Eurasia. Although this largely white bird is supremely adapted to its snowy environment, it may move south during winter according to the fluctuation of its food supply, chiefly rodents such as lemmings.
South of the Arctic are the boreal forests, which cover much of Canada’s northern and mountainous regions. Species here include the Boreal Owl, Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa), and Northern Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula), all of which also occur in the boreal forests of northern Eurasia. As these forests extend further south across the continent, with a greater variety of forest types, more species occur, including the diminutive Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) of largely deciduous forests, the Western Screech Owl of the Rockies and west coast, and its eastern equivalent the Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio). The rapacious Barred Owl has a penchant for moist and swampy forest, including the Everglades and bayous of the south. Perhaps the rarest of North America’s owls, the Spotted Owl, finds refuge in the old-growth temperate rain forests of the Pacific Northwest.
Other habitats support specialized owls. A significant amount of the prairies—the great grassland plains that once covered much of central North America—has been lost to agriculture, but the pockets that remain harbor the Burrowing Owl, one of the world’s most charismatic and distinctive species, whose ecology is closely tied to that of the prairie dogs and other burrowing mammals with which it cohabits. Further south and west, in the arid regions, the diminutive Elf Owl has adapted to life in the desert, finding perfect nest holes among towering saguaro cacti. Further south still, into Mexico, a greater variety of owls reflects the tropical influence of Central America, which is responsible for a broader general biodiversity. These include pygmy owls (Glaucidium) and South American species such as the Spectacled Owl and Crested Owl, which extend a toehold into the region.
Two Boreal Owl fledglings near their forest nest.
A young Elf Owl peers from its cactus nest in a desert.
North America’s landscapes, like those of Europe, have been heavily modified by human activities. Some species have shown an impressive adaptability: the Great Horned Owl, for example, is not only the continent’s most rapacious species but also among its most common and widespread, finding aperfect niche in suburbia, where it terrifies the neighborhood cats and dogs when they venture too close to its nest. Screech owls, both Western and Eastern, also readily adapt to human habitation and are easily encouraged to stick around if suitable nest boxes are provided. The American Barn Owl (Tyto furcata), now recognized by some authorities as a separate species from the Common Barn Owl, also finds a home in farming landscapes, providing that they are not managed too intensively and still provide enough rough pasture and old buildings for hunting and breeding.
Nonetheless, the ongoing loss of habitat is taking its toll on some species. The best known of these is, perhaps, the Spotted Owl, whose conservation became a cause célèbre during U.S. elections in the 1990s, when the needs of the owl were pitted against those of the loggers who believed that their livelihoods depended upon felling precious old-growth forests. Today, a variety of conservation groups, both local and national, are working to protect owls wherever they occur.
A Burrowing Owl fledgling tries out new perspectives on the world outside its burrow.
A Snowy Owl’s bill is almost completely hidden by its feathers.
SNOWY OWL
NYCTEA SCANDIACA (BUBO SCANDIACUS)
APPEARANCE
Large to very large white owl; female distinguished from almost pure white male by more extensive dark barring on upper parts, crown, and flanks; yellow eyes; black bill almost covered by white facial disk; heavily feathered feet; long wings, with dark banding on tips of flight feathers.
SIZE
length 20 – 28 in. (52 – 71 cm)
weight 3.5 – 6.6 lb (1.6 – 3 kg)
wingspan 49 – 59 in. (125 – 150 cm)
DISTRIBUTION
Circumpolar range across Old and New World Arctic: in North America, from the Western Aleutians east to northern Quebec and Labrador; in Eurasia, from Lapland east across Arctic Russia; winters further south: in North America, southern Canada, and the northern United States; in Eurasia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and northern China.
STATUS
Least Concern
THE INUIT CALL THIS BIRD OOKPIK, and at one time they used its feathers to fletch their hunting arrows. Fans of J. K. Rowling will know it as Hedwig, the messenger owl that carries post to Harry Potter. Whatever you call it, the Snowy Owl is not only the world’s most unmistakable owl, but also one of its most impressive birds. The scientific name “scandiaca” reflects the fact that it was first described to science in Scandinavia. However, this circumpolar Arctic owl has its largest population in North America and is, today, the official bird of Quebec.
“Big and white” is the only description needed in order to identify this owl. It is between the Eurasian Eagle Owl and the Great Horned Owl