Learn about Oregon’s Whoo-riffic Owls

Snowy Owl
A snowy owl photographed near Burns, Oregon in December. Snowy owls live in the arctic and are only rare winter visitors to the state. - Photo courtesy of Charlotte Ganskopp
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

SALEM, Ore –-(Ammoland.com)-Fourteen species of owls can be seen —and heard— in Oregon. From the tiny sparrow-sized northern pygmy owl to the great horned owl with its powerful talons to that rare visitor the snowy owl, they delight and amaze.

To help Oregonians learn about the state’s owls, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has produced a new fact sheet, Whooooo Am I? Designed primarily for kids, it is the third in a series of flyers that is popular with Oregonians of all ages.

The fact sheet provides a description and photograph of each of Oregon’s 14 owl species and tells where they live. The flyer is available in the Living with Wildlife section of the ODFW website.

“We have wonderful species of owls in the state,” said Andrea Hanson, ODFW Conservation Strategy coordinator. “Learning about owls is the first step in knowing where you might hear or see one.”

Some of the facts in the new educational flyer:

  • Most owls are nocturnal, hunting for insects, fish, frogs, birds, mice and other small mammals in the night
  • Owls have large eyes so they can see in dim light
  • Owls cannot move their eyes up, down or sideways, but they can rotate their heads 270 degrees!
  • Owls do not build nests; instead, they use tree cavities, nests created by other species, naturally occurring structures or made-made nest platforms

Oregon Owls In Need Of Conservation
The flammulated, short-eared, northern spotted, western burrowing and great gray owls are identified in the Oregon Conservation Strategy as species of conservation concern. The northern spotted owl is listed as threatened under both the federal and state Endangered Species acts. Visit the Conservation Section of ODFW’s website to learn more.

Download the flyer from ODFW’s website.
Other flyers in the series are Batty for Bats and Frogs are Cool.
For a print copy, email odfw.info@state.or.us

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