Owls are fascinating creatures for their silent flight skills, exceptional night vision, unique 270-degree neck rotating abilities, etc.
Hence, regardless of which region you live in, watching an owl can be a bewitching experience as this species looks adorable for its big eyes and riveting characteristics.
Moreover, owls have different symbolism and meanings which change according to their species. For this reason, if you are in search of an owl while in Maine then you are in luck.
Because among 255 owl species almost 12 of them reside in different parts of this region during different seasons.
So gather up all the owl admirers of Maine, because in this article we are about to take you on a phenomenal silent flight of owl species.
Contents
12 Charming Owl Species In Maine
Owls are celebrated by bird enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike for their remarkable characteristics as nocturnal hunters and birds of prey. In this section, we will help you get basic information about the existent owls in Maine while providing you with some of their interesting facts.
Without further ado, let’s look at the 12 owls in Maine.
Great Horned Owl
Source: @davidlei
- Scientific Name: Bubo virginianus
- Size: 43 to 64 cm (17 to 25 in),
- Locality: America
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: Mid-February to March
Great Horned Owls also known as the Hoot Owls are an extremely common sight in Maine and are celebrated for their distinctive appearance and longevity. They are regarded as one of the most long-living owls in their habitats.
However, in general, these species live their juvenile years with vulnerability, even with their parent’s aggressive defensive abilities. Occasionally, they have been spotted getting attacked by their own prey like skunks. Usually, the Great Horned Owl is able to quickly attack skunks, however, cases have been found where owls have been blinded by skunk attacks.
Moreover, sometimes the Great Horned Owls’ younglings try to escape their nest and as a result, end up falling and being prey to foxes, coyotes, wild or feral cats, raccoons, crows, ravens, etc. However, this only occurs when they are endlessly being chased away by humans or big flocks of birds.
Barred Owl
Source: @sony_alpha_male
- Scientific Name: Strix varia
- Size: 40 to 63 cm (16 to 25 in)
- Locality: North America
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: Between March and August
One of the most interesting facts about the Barred Owl is that, despite being a species of owl, it is not fully nocturnal. This occurs especially during hunting season when humans or rival birds go around during the day mimicking barred owls’ noises. Their daytime activity is usually around dusk or early in the morning. However, they spend most of their daytime hidden away in dense vegetation while being at least five meters above the ground.
The Barred owl’s site selection for roosting relies heavily on thermoregulation while often mitigating overheating. This species hardly relies on camouflage but rather flies away in silence making them harder to detect. Despite their habit of avoiding people at close range, occasionally they have been observed as tame creatures.
Related Post: Barn Owl vs Barred Owl: 18 Differences in a Moonlit Duel
Great Gray Owl
Source: @the.owl.whisperer
- Scientific Name: Strix nebulosa
- Size: 61 to 84 cm (24 to 33 in)
- Locality: Northern Hemisphere
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: March to May
The Great Gray Owl, also known as the Phantom of the North is famed for its large size which is why it has very few natural predators. One of its greatest threats as a species is the timber harvest. It is primarily because if the number of timber harvests is increased then as a result, these species lose their nesting spaces.
Moreover, they lose the space for their nestlings to roost before they can learn how to actually fly. Furthermore, these types of dense areas are utilized for juvenile protection as a result the loss of space makes the younglings more prone to being attacked. Their threats also include small carnivores, black bears, Eurasian Eagle Owls, rodenticides, collisions with vehicles, West Nile Virus, etc.
Snowy Owl
Source: @snowyowlcoffee
- Scientific Name: Bubo scandiacus
- Size: 52.5 to 64 cm (20.7 to 25.2 in)
- Locality: Arctic regions of North America and Palaearctic
- Status: Vulnerable
- Breeding Season: May
Snowy owls are celebrated for their foraging habits that change based on the seasons. For this reason, their opportunistic feeding behavior is quite different. During summer, their diet primarily depends on lemmings. These are known as one of the key architects of soil in their residing areas. In the areas where lemmings are not easily found, the passerines, shorebirds, seabirds, waterfowls, etc turn into their food source.
While wintering, the Snowy Owls have a more diverse appetite while foraging on teal, northern pintail, alcids, etc, various sorts of birds. Moreover, occasionally, these species consume black rats, red phalaropes, buffleheads, waterbirds, etc. They mostly focus on nocturnal prey rather than prey like lemmings. Most of their prey tend to be relatively small but the size may vary.
Northern Saw-Whet Owl
Source: @audubonsociety
- Scientific Name: Aegolius acadicus
- Size: 17 to 22 cm (6.7 to 8.7 in)
- Locality: North America
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: Between March and July
Northern Saw-Whet Owl lays eggs in naturally built tree cavities, holes made by woodpeckers, or occasionally in a nest box in Mountainous areas. They are observed to lay in these nestings about four to six eggs that are usually white-colored. Males are seen singing or caching food in nest sites to attract females. In the case of parental duties, the father usually hunts for food for the nestlings while the mother takes care and protects them while incubating.
Females are not exclusively monogamous and tend to have more than one clutch of eggs with different mating patterns. They possess sequential polyandry tendencies. It means, the females leave their nestlings to their fathers once they develop feathers and mate with another male.
Short-Eared Owl
Source: @driver.david
- Scientific Name: Asio flammeus
- Size: 34 to 43 cm (13 to 17 in)
- Locality: Almost all countries
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: March to June
The Short-Eared Owl, an open country hunter is one of the owl species that are frequently seen during day time. At one year of age, they are known to attain maturity. Their breeding season peaks in April. During this period, these species tend to gather in flocks. Like most other bird species, the males of this species try to attract the females while exhibiting different performances.
The male’s courtship display includes them flying around the nest and swooping down over the nest while flapping their wings. They are usually monogamous in nature and pairs for life. Typically, in one clutch, the females lay about 4 to 7 white eggs. This size can reach up to 12 eggs in a year.
Eastern Screech Owl
Source: @mdfaheyphoto
- Scientific Name: Megascops asio
- Size: 16 to 25 cm (6.5 to 10 in)
- Locality: Eastern North America, Canada, Mexico
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: Mid-March to Mid-May
Eastern Screech Owls are renowned for their highly gregarious behavior towards humans. It has been observed that they can easily live close to human habitats while adapting themselves to urban and suburban environments. They can even breed in man-made boxes the same way they breed in their natural nesting sites.
However, residing in such areas can lead to their demise for their exposure to secondary poisoning, vehicles, and predators. Moreover, their dietary requirements change depending on the areas they reside as well. They are more prone to have a diverse diet in low-density suburban areas whereas in rural areas they mostly consume invertebrates. The climate change in both these areas is different as well and makes an impact on the Eastern Screech Owls’ behavior.
Long-Eared Owl
Source: @jahurtadosfoto
- Scientific Name: Asio otus
- Size: 26.2 to 31.5 cm (10.3 to 12.4 in)
- Locality: Europe, Palaearctic, North America
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: Between February and July
Long-eared owls, a bird of prey, are celebrated for their unique hunting strategies. They have a tendency to prey in phases. The phases are midnight, sometimes after midnight, and an hour before sunrise. They hunt while slowly flying around close to the ground with strong agility. They mainly depend on their flexible flying patterns and their ability for hearing their prey from a distance.
This species detects its prey from a close range while listening closely to their movements and are skilled at finding mice. When they spot one they stall and quickly pounce on their prey. Their search for prey does not always depend on the availability of food sources, rather it depends on their preference for open areas. They use their robust feet to kill their prey by strangling them instead of just stabbing them.
Boreal Owl
Source: @jakefromwake
- Scientific Name: Aegolius funereus
- Size: 22 to 27 cm (8.7 to 10.6 in)
- Locality: North America, and Palaearctic
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: End of February to July
One of the most interesting facts about Boreal owls is their breeding behavior. Their breeding age starts at one year and their nest is predominantly made in nest cavities created by woodpeckers. However, they occasionally breed in readymade nest boxes as well. One clutch of Boreal Owls eggs contains about 3 to 7 eggs that are laid by females at intervals that usually last for two days.
Their eggs are primarily shiny and glossy white in color. The male does not play a significant role in breeding. The eggs get incubated and cared for by the females from the beginning. They incubate the eggs for about 21 days and when the nestlings are 5 to 6 weeks they get independent.
Northern Hawk Owl
Source: @jens.birkeland
- Scientific Name: Surnia ulula
- Size: 36 to 42.5 cm (14.2 to 16.7 in)
- Locality: Eastern Alaska, Canada, Newfoundland, and the Northern United States.
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: April and Early May
The Northern Hawk Owl is known for its strategic breeding behavior. It does everything on time one after another. This strategy does not overlap and starts with males calling for the females to mate. Afterward, they create a pair, and a nest is built in which the females lay 3 to 11 eggs per brood. These nestings are predominantly built on top of trees high above the ground in general the distance range starts from 2 up to 5m. These trees are usually old and dead.
Both males and females work together to bring up the nestlings. The females are usually solely responsible for incubating while the males forage around for food. However, their roles change when the younglings start to grow up. Once they are about two weeks old, the females leave the nest in search of food while the males guard them.
Barn Owl
Source: @jvr_wildlife
- Scientific Name: Tyto alba
- Size: 33 and 39 cm (13 and 15 in)
- Locality: North America
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: Dry Season
Barn Owls are known for their precise hearing sensation that is used for hunting successfully in total darkness. It rarely comes out during the day. However, it can be spotted before dusk and occasionally while relocating for taking shelter. In some places they are even spotted hunting during the day. It only occurs on special occasions when the previous night is wet making it difficult to hunt.
This species is known for being a peaceful bird rarely attacking other birds or humans. However, when being severely mobbed by other bird species they turn into their aggressive sides and sometimes even decapitate the birds. Moreover, they do not exhibit aggressive territorial behavior, however, they do possess a specific residing range in which they freely fly around in search of food.
Burrowing Owl
Source: @jeriraycraft
- Scientific Name: Athene cunicularia
- Size: 19 to 28 cm (7 to 11 in)
- Locality: North and South America
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: February to August
The Burrowing Owl also known as the shoco has now become an extremely rare sight in Maine because of their sudden loss of habitat in North America. This was primarily due to the unavailability of suitable habitats and special programs for controlling prairie dogs. These dogs had to be controlled because, in their burrowing process, they uprooted plants in various agricultural fields causing severe damage.
The Burrowing Owls, however, mostly depend on these kinds of animals to do their burrowing for them. Some of the Burrowing Owls can dig on their own, but a large number of species depend on other animals like prairie dogs, ground squirrels, etc. Moreover, creating man-made burrows proved to be insufficient for the owls and did not work as a long-term solution to conserve their habitat. Hence, as a result, the decline in numbers started.
FAQ
In this section, we will let you in on the frequently asked questions about owls in Maine.
Q: What is the most common owl in Maine?
Ans: The most common owl species in Maine are the Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) and the Barred Owl (Strix varia) and Northern Saw-Whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus). These three species are widely distributed in the region and commonly sighted in their habitats.
Q: What are the rare owls in Maine?
Ans: There are a lot of rare owls nesting sporadically in Maine. The list includes short-eared owls, long-eared owls, eastern screech owls, etc. Two rare owls theoretically breed here, but we are yet to find concrete evidence, they are the Boreal owl and Burrowing owl.
Q: Are there white owls in Maine?
Ans: There have been sightings of snowy owls in Maine, however, it is quite elusive.
Thoughts
Owls possess a captivating allure to their whole characteristics and appearance while lightening up the spirits of everyone when encountered. Their presence feels like a warm welcome into the dark night.
If you are in search of owls in Maine then you might not have to look further rather look closely in the dark to spot these fascinating creatures.
Some of them are even sociable enough to live in close proximity to human habitations and have a good relationship with them.
So, whether you spot one of them in your backyard or your nest boxes, or in their natural habitat remember to not go after them but rather help them have a suitable foraging and living environment.
Lastly, if you spot one of them sleeping during the daytime or hunting at night, we believe that you will be able to effortlessly spot these species and identify each of them.
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Audio Credits: xeno-canto, wikimedia
