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Owls from Coast to Coast
Every state in the country has at least 2–3 owl species. Distribution is uneven from east to west, and the number of species increases going west.
Northeastern states including New England have 6–7 species, with the Barred Owl and Great Horned Owl being fairly common.
Excluding Florida, southeastern states are home to 4–5 species, such as the Eastern Screech-Owl and Barn Owl. Florida and midwestern states as far west as Nebraska and the Dakotas host 6–7 species. The Upper Midwest also has 6–7 species, with the famed Great Gray Owl and Snowy Owl making their appearances during winter months. In the far Northwest, Alaska has at least 7 species that include the Northern Hawk Owl and Short-eared Owl.
The species number jumps to 8–9 in western states such as Idaho, Colorado and New Mexico. Southeastern Arizona, home to the Elf Owl and the extremely uncommon Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, has 10 species, as do eastern Oregon and Washington—all of which are resident states of the Northern Saw-whet Owl and Burrowing Owl.
Western Oregon, Washington and much of California have the highest diversity of owls, with a total of 11 species, such as the Long-eared Owl and Western Screech-Owl. Most species living in these states also occur in the eastern United States.
Unique design
Just one look at an owl will convince most people it is a very special bird. Perhaps no other single feature defines an owl more than its eyes. Owls have huge forward-facing eyes and human-like eyelids that blink from the top down, giving them the appearance of being smart and alert. This is unlike other birds, which have eyes on the sides of their heads and eyelids that blink from the bottom up. In owls, the lower lid goes up only during sleep.
The head of an owl is also remarkable in that it is round and much larger in proportion to its body than it is in other birds—this correlates to its front-facing large eyes. In many owl species, just one of the eyes takes up about as much space in the skull as its brain.
Head rotation
Having large eyes is a great advantage for owls, but oversized eyes have some limitations. Owl eyes are so big that there is actually no room left in the sockets for the eyes to move. While our eyes move freely in their sockets, allowing us to see side to side and up and down without moving our heads, an owl’s eyes are fixed. Consequently, owls must move their heads to see anything not directly in front of them.
The neck of an owl has 14 bones (vertebrae). This is twice as many neck bones as in people and is the reason why owls have more mobility of their heads. Owls can rotate their heads 280 degrees without shifting their body position, giving them a wide range of vision. They cannot turn their heads all the way around to a full 360 degrees, as some people believe. Once an owl reaches its physical limit in one direction, it rotates its head back around the other way to pick up the sighting where it left off.
