There is a group of birds of prey that belong to the order Strigiformes, which is subdivided into two families. The first is the Strigidae, where the so-called true or typical owls are found, the second is the Tytonidae, which includes the barn owls. Eventually, the names owl and owl are used interchangeably, but really these two groups, although they are very similar in certain aspects, have some anatomical differences and live in different places.
Focusing on the latter, in this article on our site we will explain where owls live and what their habitat is like. Keep reading and expand your knowledge about these wonderful birds.
Owl Distribution
The Strigiformes family constitutes a fairly diverse taxonomic group, which includes more than 220 identified species of owls. Owls have a very wide global distribution, being present on all continents except Antarctica, which is why they are considered cosmopolitan animals.
However, we can say that 80% of owl species are found in the tropics of the planet, and although some species have habitat changes for seasonal reasons, less than 10% have migratory behavior within their range of distribution.
Owl Habitat
Owls are found in almost all terrestrial habitats in their ranges, however most live in various types of forests, which depending on the area will have certain particular conditions.
Here are some particular examples of the habitat of certain owl species:
- Northern Sierra Owl (Aegolius acadicus) The species lives in the United States, Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica; also moves to Canada. Although it is usually found in coniferous forests, it also develops in deciduous and mixed types. Depending on the season, it can be migratory and present in urban areas.
- Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus) It has a wide distribution in forest areas in the northern regions. Thus, it is in North America, including Alaska and Canada, in Eurasia, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Siberia and some areas of Korea. This owl lives in subalpine and boreal forests.
- Long-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) This is one of the owl species with the greatest global distribution, found practically throughout the entire continent American, from the north to Patagonia. It is also found on the rest of the continents, except for Antarctica and Australia. The preferred habitat corresponds to open spaces, without many trees and that are associated with swamps and marshes, with relatively flat terrain.
- Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) If you are wondering where the eagle owl lives, you should know that this type of owl has a wide distribution range both in Europe and Asia, but also in North Africa. It prefers wild spaces without disturbances, associated with rocky ecosystems, cliffs and ravines. It also favors areas with wooded patches in various types of forests and even river valleys and farmland.
- Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) Also known as the snowy owl, it is a widely distributed species in the northern circumpolar area. Thus, it is present in Alaska, Canada, China, Greenland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Russia, among other regions. It grows from sea level to about 300 meters high, in biomes such as tundra, flooded grasslands, plains, marshes, and urban areas.
- Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) It is exclusive to America, although the breeding populations are from the United States, Canada, Suriname and Uruguay, the groups extend to many other countries in the region. The habitat of this owl is made up of open ecosystems with little vegetation, such as desert areas, grasslands, plains, prairies, agricultural spaces and even abandoned urban places, golf courses and other urban areas.
- Black and white owl (Ciccaba nigrolineata)It is a species that lives in Central and South America, although it can be in certain locations in Mexico, extending to Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru. It inhabits various types of forests, such as humid, semi-deciduous or evergreen. It is usual that it lives near urban areas, since it is not afraid of humans.
Where do owls nest?
When asking where owls live, it is logical to think about whether they nest in those same places or not. Well, a peculiarity of owls is that, in general, don't build nests, they are in fact adverse or contrary to this common practice in many other birds. In this sense, for the reproductive process that involves laying, incubating the eggs and rearing the newborns, some species use the nests of other birds, but also it is usual in certain cases that they occupy holes in the trees that are made by woodpeckers. Similarly, there are even owls that nest on the ground, in mammalian burrows, as is the case of the burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia), which uses the burrows they leave prairie dogs, so they have a semi-colonial behavior because, unlike most other species, several pairs live together. If they don't find an empty burrow, they build their own, for which they use some materials.
Another place where owls nest, as is the case of the snowy, is directly on the ground That is, the female chooses some space, which can be a mound with herbaceous vegetation, where it will scrape the ground and, without placing any insulating material, lay the eggs directly there.
Also, we can mention the example of the eagle owl, which is used to looking for cracks between rocks, cliffs, caves or large nests of other birds for use in their nesting. Another case is that of the long-eared owl, which also nests on the ground, but makes nests in spaces with tall vegetation. It is common that it even returns to the same nest in the next reproductive periods.
In general, as we have mentioned, owls are not migratory birds, so they nest in the same areas where they usually live.
