Category: Birds

The spectacled owl, from Mexico, Central and South America, has striking black, white and yellow colored plumage. It has broken circles of white around its yellow glaring eyes. It has mostly black or dark brown wings with a black head and yellow chest. The chicks are born with a dense fluffy white layer of plumage which slowly changes to the adult coloration in a period of as long as two years.

The eagle owls are the largest of owls but within that group the barred eagle owl or the the Malay eagle owl is on the smaller side. It does have prominent ear tufts and large powerful talons, trademarks of the eagle owls. If fact, the Malay eagle owl’s large, sideways pointing ear tufts and dark brown eyes are its most recognizable features. It also has barred coloration and a light-colored breast and undersides.

The boreal owl is a smallish, secretive owl found in high altitude forest zones and spruce fir forests. It has a long haunting song. It ranges across the northern border between the United States and Canada in selected spots and across Eurasia at the same latitude.