The mysterious owl is a favorite bird for many. The fact that most of us never see them due to their camouflage and nocturnal habits makes them all the more fascinating. It can also lead you to wonder just how many different kinds of owls can be found where I live? In this article we will look at the 9 species of owls in New Hampshire.
9 Owls in New Hampshire
Aside from the rare vagrant, these are the 9 species of owls you will find in New Hampshire: the barn owl, the barred owl, the eastern screech owl, the great gray owl, the great-horned owl, the long-eared owl, northern saw-whet owl, the short-eared owl and the snowy owl.
1. Barn Owl
- Scientific name: Tyto alba
- Length: 12.6 – 15.8 in
- Wingspan: 39.4 – 49.2 in
- Weight: 14.1 – 24.7 oz
New Hampshire is not technically part of the barn owl’s range. However, they can be found in some surrounding states so may be spotted in New Hampshire from time to time They can be found mainly in open habitats such as grasslands, fields, ranches, agricultural land and strips of forest.
Barn owls like to nest in man-made structures that have lots of eaves and beams such as barns, attics and church steeples. This is probably one way they got their name. They also nest in tree cavities, caves and cliff-sides. Barn Owls are very nocturnal and are unlikely to be found out during the daylight.
At dusk and through the night, they fly low over fields using their amazing hearing to locate mice and other rodents. Their large, ghostly white face and belly can be quite a spooky sight if you catch a glimpse of them in low light!
2. Barred Owl
- Scientific name: Strix varia
- Length: 16.9 – 19.7 in
- Wingspan: 39.0 – 43.3 in
- Weight: 16.6 – 37.0 oz
The beautiful brown and white striped barred owl is found throughout New Hampshire all year, and is fairly common. These birds really like to stay close to home, often not even leaving a 10 mile radius.
Although their range often overlaps with the great horned owl, they do not like to be in the same area as them. Great horned owls will actually go after barred owl eggs, young birds, and sometimes even adults.