Owls of Ohio - Ohio Department of Natural Resources

This species has become a symbol of old-growth forestpreservation in the Pacific Northwest, as that habitat is ofprimary importance for spotted owls. Because of conservationinterest in this species, it is one of the most thoroughly studiedof North American owls. The spotted owl is closely related tothe barred owl, and the two are known to hybridize.A close ally of the Eastern screech-owl, a common Ohiospecies, and was long considered to be conspecific withthat species. They were not officially separated until 1983.While similar to the Eastern in appearance, the calls are verydifferent and are one of the main reasons that the two wereseparated. The primary song is often called the “bouncingball” song.O T H E R N O R T H A M E R I C A N O W L S 57Range acrossNorth AmericaBreedingWinteringYear-roundRange acrossNorth AmericaBreedingWinteringYear-round