Identification

Visual: Medium-sized owl with a white or cinnamon breast, pale golden wings and back, heart- shaped face, and dark eyes. The heart-shaped face and long, spindly legs separate this owl from all other North American owls.

Vocal: Territorial calls include a hiss-scream (like a steam locomotive venting steam) and a ghostly rattle.

Nesting Habitat

Cliffs, ravines, unoccupied human structures--plains and western valleys, mostly below 2000 m. They typically lay their eggs on an internal building ledge, in a cave or pothole, or in a rodent or mammal burrow in a ravine.

Nesting Dates

Courtship: March to July

Incubation: late March to early August

Dependent nestlings: April to October

They may raise two clutches or re-nest if the first clutch fails. Incubation of 2-11 eggs requires a variable amount of time, since the eggs are laid at 2-3 day intervals. The young fledge 56-62 days after hatching.

Statewide Distribution and Population

This cosmopolitan owl nests at low elevations throughout the state. Little is known about population trends in Colorado.

Federal and State Status

Not listed.

Search and Nest Monitoring Protocol

Beginning in April, search cliffs and abandoned buildings for nests; or drive a set route after sundown, stopping every 400 m to listen for calls. Do not approach within 200 m of active nests.

Recommended Nest Buffer Areas

Avoid human encroachment within 200 m of active nests.

References

Craighead, J. J., and F. C. Craighead. 1956. Hawks, owls, and wildlife. Stackpole Books, Harrisburg, PA.

Johnsgard, P. A. 1988. Owls of North America. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.

Kingery, H. E., ed. 1998. Colorado breeding bird atlas. Colorado Bird Atlas Partnership, Denver.

Marti, C. D. 1992. Barn Owl. In The birds of North America, no. 1. American Ornithologists Union, Washington, D.C.

Vroos, K. 1988. Owls of the Northern Hemisphere. MIT Press, Cambridge.

Wickersham, L.E. 2016. The Second Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas. Colorado Bird Atlas Partnership, Denver.