How many owls can you identify by their calls? Learn what a Great Gray Owl and other North American owls sound like now at All About Birds (photo by Paul Konrad).

It is always a special thrill to hear the call of an owl break the quiet of a wooded area or the still silence in the midst of a desert or mountain landscape. Owls use their voices to communicate with one another, to establish territories, and to attract mates and maintain pair bonds, similar to most birds. Despite their nocturnal reputation, you might hear owls calling at almost any time of the day. In fact, some species such as Short-eared Owls, Burrowing Owls, and Northern Pygmy Owls can be active and vocal during the day. And some owls such as Barred Owls and Great Horned Owls may begin nesting in mid-winter, so you can often hear them calling during late fall and winter when most other birds are quiet.

Among the 19 species of owls found in the United States and Canada, a sampler of the calls of some of the favorite and most widespread owl species is now available at All About Birds, provided by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Some owl vocalizations are mysterious, some are surprising, and some haunting, but they are all a reminder to keep listening! A case in point is the fairly common Eastern Screech Owl’s call, which may be more of a song, and it’s unlikely to be acknowledged as an owl vocalization unless you are acquainted with it. Learn more and listen to species-specific calls of the owls that live among us at Listen In on the Distinctive Voices of Owls | All About Birds.

You can also look up the life history information for owl species found in North America at All About Birds at Search Results | All About Birds, and if you want to see and hear more species of owls, click on “See More Birds” after the last owl pictures on the webpage.