Tuesday, June 7, 2022

Spotted Owl

 

While on an owl prowl in Utah and Arizona we were able to hear quite a few Spotted Owls hooting in the canyons of the Huachuca Mountains in southern Arizona however we were only able to locate this one owl while hiking up Miller Canyon.


Spotted Owls are large owls with rounded heads that lack ear tufts. The wings are broad and rounded; the tail is short.

Spotted Owls are dark-brown overall dappled with white. The chest and belly are marked with large, oval white spots. The facial disks are dark brown with pale marks forming an X between the eyes. The Mexican subspecies has a paler facial disk. The eyes are brown.

Spotted Owls are nocturnal. They hunt small mammals, especially flying squirrels and woodrats, by listening quietly from a perch and then swooping silently down on their prey.

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