Coastal Carolina

Strix varia HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 17 inches Wingspan: 44 inches * Sexes similar * Rather large owl * Dark eyes and yellow bill * Back brown, mottled with pale spots and dark bars * Underparts pale with long, brown streaks * Chest pale with brown barring * Face pale with dark concentric rings surrounding eye Similar species: The Spotted Owl is most similar, but can be separated with attention to its barred, not streaked, underpart coloration. Short-eared Owl is similar in size, but is not barred on the chest nor is as heavily streaked below, does not share the concentric rings in the facial disks, has yellow eyes and a dark bill, and is found in quite different habitat. Great Gray Owl is superficially similar, but much larger, gray rather than brown below, and has differently patterned underparts.

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Otus asio HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 8? inches Wingspan: 22? inches * Small, nocturnal, predatory bird * Large, rounded head with ear tufts * Yellow eyes * Dense streaking on underparts with finer barring * Some birds have rusty plumage, others dark gray * Sexes similar Similar species: The Eastern Screech-Owl is very similar in plumage to Western and Whiskered Screech-Owls and is best separated by voice. Other small owls lack prominent ear tufts.

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Bubo virginianus HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 20 inches Wingspan: 55 inches * Sexes similar * Very large owl with prominent ear tufts * Yellow eyes and dark bill * Upperparts mottled brown, gray, and black * Pale underparts with fine brown bars * Reddish-brown facial disks bordered by black with a lower border of white * White throat patch * Pale gray form inhabits northern Canada Similar species: Only the Long-eared Owl shares the red facial disks and prominent ear tufts, but is much smaller and slenderer, is barred and streaked on the belly, lacks the white throat, and has its ear tufts set closer together.

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HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 20 inches Wingspan: 55 inches * Sexes similar * Very large owl with prominent ear tufts * Yellow eyes and dark bill * Upperparts mottled brown, gray, and black * Pale underparts with fine brown bars * Reddish-brown facial disks bordered by black with a lower border of white * White throat patch * Pale gray form inhabits northern Canada Similar species: Only the Long-eared Owl shares the red facial disks and prominent ear tufts, but is much smaller and slenderer, is barred and streaked on the belly, lacks the white throat, and has its ear tufts set closer together.

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Asio flammeus HOW TO IDENTIFY: * Length: 13 inches Wingspan: 41 inches * Sexes similar * Medium-sized owl * Perhaps the most aerial owl, the Short-eared courses low over fields and marshes at dawn and dusk with floppy, moth-like wingbeats * Yellow eyes and dark bill * Upperparts mottled brown and white, with darker bars on flight feathers * Breast tawny with darker streaks fading to a white belly with diffuse darker streaking * Face relatively dark and unpatterned * In flight, pale underwings with prominent black wrist marks are obvious Similar species: Often easily identified by behavior alone, the Short-eared is most readily confused with the Long-eared Owl. In flight, both species share similar underwing coloration, and often a good view of a sitting bird is needed to discern the many obvious differences such as the Long-eared Owl's ear tufts, red facial disks, barred underparts, and lack of tawny coloration. Potentially confused with the Barred Owl, but easily distinguished by eye and bill color, face and underpart patterning. Barn Owl occupies similar habitat but is much paler and lacks streaking on the underparts.

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