Otus flammeolus
The Flammulated Owl is a highly migratory owl-it usually winters in Mexico or Central America-probably because its diet is composed largely of insects, which are scarce in winter in North America. A quick field identification for the Flammulated Owl is that it is the only small owl with dark eyes. Otherwise, it is very similar to a screech-owl, although the Flammulated Owl has shorter 'ears' and a reddish facial disk. The Flammulated Owl is a strictly noctural bird, and its apparent rarity might be due more to its secretive nature than to actual scarcity. |
I.D.: Sexes similar: small owl; small ear tufts; dark eyes; rufous facial disk; dark bill; vertical breast streaks; gray-brown overall; white eyebrow. Size: L 6-7 in. (15-18 cm). Range: uncommon to common resident in the southern and central U.S. Rockies; migrates in the southern Rockies. Habitat: mature to old-growth ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir forests; occasionally in mixed woods of aspen. Nesting: usually in an abandoned woodpecker cavity, often lined with a few wood chips; female incubates 3-4 eggs for about 2 days. Feeding: swoops from a perch for moths and beetles in flight and gleans for grasshoppers, spiders, scorpions and small mammals. Voice: low series of hoo-hoops given at 3-4-second intervals. Similar Species: Western Screech-Owl: larger; light-colored eyes; larger ear tufts; lacks the rufous in the plumage. |
