Owls of Adena Brook

All information is from the Ohio Division of Wildlife

There are twelve species of owls found in Ohio. The most common owls found in Adena Brook are the Barred Owl, Eastern Screech Owl, Northern Saw-Whet Owl, and Great Gray Owl. Because owls are nocturnal, they are difficult to see, but they can be identified by learning their calls.

Barred Owl
A native Ohio species, the Barred Owl is a brown-gray hornless (no ear tufts) owl with white spots on the back, white streaks on the belly that run lengthwise, and white bars, on the neck and breast that run crosswise, from which their name is derived, its eyes are brown rather than the more common yellow. The Barred Owl stands 18 to 22 inches tall and has a wingspan of 3.5 to 4 feet. Mating is monogamous, and breeding is late February through mid-March. Eggs are incubated 28 days. The clutch size is 2-3 eggs. Young generally hatch in mid-April. The Barred Owl is a nocturnal species, meaning most of its actions including feeding occur at night. Some daytime activity has been reported, but it is rare. Although mice are the Barred Owl's preferred food, they consume a wide variety of small mammals, reptiles, fish, and insects including snails, slugs, spiders, bats, chicken, songbirds, woodpeckers, crows, crayfish, and rabbits. In Ohio, meadow voles, short-tailed shrews, and white-footed mice comprise the bulk of the Barred Owl's prey. They are extremely effective and efficient predators.

Sounds of the Barred Owl (from Ohio Department of Natural Resources)
Click on the description to play sound:
Caterwauling • Male hooting • Dueling and cauterwauling • Ascending hoot • Fledging begging calls • Female solicitation calls

Eastern Screech Owl
Screech Owls favor patches of woodlands broken up by large, open meadows where they hunt from dusk till dawn for a variety of prey such as field mice, small snakes, lizards and a range of insects. Screech Owls are also urban dwellers, frequently found living in older neighborhoods with lots of mature trees. Averaging 8-9 inches in length with a 22-inch wingspan, screech owls are the smallest of Ohio’s four resident owl species (Laura Jones, Ohio Natural Resources).

Sounds of the Eastern Screech Owl (from Ohio Department of Natural Resources)
Click on the description to play sound:
Monotonic trill • descending whinny call • Bark call and bill snapping • Chuckling rattles • Begging rasps of fledgings

Northern Saw-Whet Owl
The Northern Saw-Whet is a small owl averaging just 8 inches in length. It is most active at dawn and dusk, hunting in wooded and heavy brush areas for insects, mice and other small rodents. Sound sleepers when roosting, birders can occasionally get within inches of a Saw-Whet. However, never disturb this or any owl as you might reveal its roosting location and make it vulnerable to attack by other birds (Laura Jones, Ohio Division of Wildlife).

Sounds of the Northern Saw-Whet Owl (from Ohio Department of Natural Resources)
Click on the description to play sound:
Male advertising call • Male advertising call, variation • Whining call • Variation of whine call • Whine/wail call • Bill snap and triller call

Great Horned Owl
A Great Horned Owl seen in Adena Brook Ravine is likely a permanent resident. The Great Horned Owl is a common but generally inconspicuous species nesting in a variety of urban and rural habitats statewide in Ohio. After the Screech Owl this is Ohio's most common owl. While preferring to nest in the cavities of large trees, Great Horned Owls also utilize abandoned nests of hawks, crows, and herons as well as artificial nests constructed from old tires. They are most commonly found nesting in areas characterized by agricultural fields interspersed with woodlots and wooded riparian corridors. Along riparian corridors they frequently perch on overhanging limbs in the mid to upper canopy above the stream. In these situations they are most often seen dropping off a limb and silently retreating into the seclusion of the adjacent woodlands.

Sounds of the Great Horned Owl (from Ohio Department of Natural Resources)
Click on the description to play sound:
Male hooting • Male hooting, slight stutter variation • Pair duelling • Female bill snap, squawk, chitter • Fledging begging call • Copulation calls during mating • Female wac-wac call and bill snaps