- Strix nebulosa
Identification
Description: 24-33" (61-84 cm). W. 5' (1.5 m). A huge, dusky gray, earless owl of the North Woods, with yellow eyes, large facial disks, and distinctive black chin spot bordered by white patches, resembling a bow tie. Barred and Spotted owls are smaller, stockier, and browner, with dark eyes.
Habitat: Coniferous forests and muskeg.
Nesting: 2-5 white eggs in a bulky nest of sticks in a dense conifer.
Range: Resident from Alaska and across interior Canada south to northern California, northern Wyoming, Minnesota, and Quebec. In winter wanders rarely southward into northern New England and Great Lakes region. Also in Eurasia.
Voice: Very deep, booming whoo, repeated 10 times or more, and gradually descending the scale.
Discussion: Like other owls of the Far North, this species hunts during the day, often watching for prey from a low perch. Because it spends much of its time in dense conifers, it is often overlooked. One of the most elusive of birds, the Great Gray was discovered in America by Europeans before they realized that the species also occurs in Europe.
