A soft “who-cooks-for-you” drifting through a cypress swamp at dusk, a sandy burrow tucked between two suburban lawns, a flash of white feathers on a fence post in the middle of winter — Florida’s owls show up in places most people never expect. The state supports several resident species that nest and hunt here year-round, plus a couple of cold-weather visitors that only pass through during unusual winters. Knowing the types of owls in Florida by size, call, and habitat turns a random backyard hoot into an easy identification.
This guide covers the seven species most likely to cross paths with Florida residents and birdwatchers, from the ghostly barn owl to the rare, snow-white visitor from the Arctic. Each section breaks down what to look for, where to look, and why these birds matter to the state’s ecosystems.
| Species | Typical Length | Wingspan | Key Identifier | Florida Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barn Owl | ~16 in | ~3.5 ft | Heart-shaped white face, no ear tufts | Year-round resident |
| Eastern Screech-Owl | 7-9 in | ~20 in | Ear tufts, gray or reddish morph | Year-round resident |
| Great Horned Owl | 18-25 in | 3.5-4.5 ft | Prominent “horned” ear tufts | Year-round resident |
| Barred Owl | 17-20 in | ~3.5-4 ft | Rounded head, brown-and-white barring | Year-round resident |
| Burrowing Owl | ~9 in | ~21 in | Long legs, ground-dwelling, active by day | State-threatened resident |
| Short-eared Owl | 13-17 in | ~3.3-3.8 ft | Buoyant, moth-like flight over open fields | Rare winter visitor |
| Snowy Owl | 20-28 in | ~4.2-4.8 ft | Bright white plumage | Extremely rare vagrant |
1. Barn Owl
The barn owl (Tyto alba) stands out from every other Florida owl the moment it turns its face toward you. It has a large, white, heart-shaped face, edged in brown, with contrasting dark eyes and a pale bill. That face, combined with long, pale legs and a completely silent, buoyant flight, makes it one of the more distinctive raptors sharing space with Florida’s water birds and open-country wildlife.
Despite its ghostly good looks, this species has an odd distinction among the state’s raptors. The barn owl is the least common species of owl that breeds in Florida, and it also differs structurally from the others. In addition, it is unique from the other “typical owls” in that it is the only species in its family, and its appearance is very different from other owls, as well.
Size-wise, the barn owl is smaller in body length than it looks in flight. Females average about a pound in weight, and although the species’ wingspan roughly matches that of the barred owl at about 3.5 feet, its body length is only about 16 inches. Its call is nothing like the classic hoot most people expect from an owl.
Pro Tip: Skip the hoot when trying to identify a barn owl by ear. The species is known for a rasping shriek and insect-like clicking rather than a traditional hoot, so a scream-like call at night over farmland or open fields is a strong clue.
The species hunts almost entirely on rodents, making it a favorite of Florida farmers who install nest boxes on barns and posts. Its diet also overlaps with insects, which puts it in occasional competition with insect-eating raptors and even some of the state’s larger moth species that share the same open habitats after dark. For more detail on the biology behind this subspecies, the UF/IFAS Extension barn owl profile and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s species page both offer detailed identification notes.
2. Eastern Screech-Owl
Florida’s smallest widespread owl is also its most commonly heard. The eastern screech-owl, Megascops asio, is a compact bird with prominent ear tufts, a stocky body, and one of two color morphs — gray or reddish-brown — that can appear in the same neighborhood, even the same nest.
Unlike its name suggests, the eastern screech-owl doesn’t actually screech. Its signature call is a descending, tremulous whinny that sounds more like a trilling whistle than a scream, along with a softer, single-pitched trill used between mates. Both calls carry well through suburban yards, which is why this species is often the first owl residents learn to recognize by sound alone.
These owls favor wooded neighborhoods, parks, and mature trees with natural cavities or old woodpecker holes, and they readily use nest boxes when natural cavities are scarce. Their diet is broad for such a small bird, including large insects, small rodents, and occasionally small reptiles such as anoles and geckos found clinging to bark and fence posts at night. Their compact size and camouflaged plumage make them easy to overlook during the day, when they roost tight against tree trunks and rely on stillness rather than flight to avoid detection.
3. Great Horned Owl
Florida’s largest and most powerful resident owl earns its name from two feathered tufts on top of its head that resemble horns rather than ears. The great horned owl, Bubo virginianus, has a heavy build, a deep barrel chest, and piercing yellow eyes set in a mottled brown facial disc.
This is an apex predator among the state’s owls, capable of taking prey far larger than what most owls attempt. Its diet includes rabbits, skunks, snakes, and even other raptors, and it has been documented preying on birds as large as ospreys and herons at their nests. That hunting range occasionally puts it in direct competition with Florida’s eagles, since both species compete for similar open-country and wetland-edge territory.
Key Insight: The great horned owl’s deep, resonant “hoo-hoo-hoooo, hoo-hoo” call is the classic owl sound most people associate with the species, and it carries for long distances across open landscapes, especially on calm winter nights during breeding season.
Great horned owls nest early in the year, often taking over abandoned hawk or eagle nests rather than building their own. Because they tolerate a wide range of habitats, from pine flatwoods to suburban parks, they’re one of the more adaptable predators sharing space with Florida’s smaller mammals and ground-dwelling birds.
4. Barred Owl
The barred owl, Strix varia, is the species most likely to be heard, and occasionally seen, in Florida’s forested wetlands. Its rounded head lacks ear tufts entirely, and its brown-and-white barred and streaked plumage gives the species its name and its excellent camouflage against tree bark.
Unlike most owls, barred owls are frequently active during daylight hours, which is why residents near swamps and wooded neighborhoods often spot them perched in the open rather than hidden in dense cover. Their signature call, a rhythmic eight-note phrase often described as sounding like “who cooks for you, who cooks for you-all,” is one of the most recognizable owl calls in the eastern United States.
- Prefers hardwood hammocks, cypress swamps, and wooded areas near water
- Found year-round across most of the Florida peninsula, but generally absent from the Everglades and the Lower Keys
- Diet includes small mammals, crayfish, frogs, and occasionally fish caught at water’s edge
- Often mistaken for the great horned owl but distinguished by its lack of ear tufts and darker eyes
Barred owls hunt from low perches near water, dropping onto prey with a short, silent glide rather than the sustained flight typical of open-country species. Their close association with wetlands makes them a useful indicator of healthy, connected forest habitat, similar to how the presence of diverse wading birds often signals a functioning wetland ecosystem.
5. Burrowing Owl
Florida’s smallest owl also happens to be its most unusual, both in appearance and behavior. The Florida burrowing owl, a distinct subspecies known scientifically as Athene cunicularia floridana, is a ground-dwelling bird that nests underground rather than in trees.
The burrowing owl is one of the smallest owls in Florida, reaching a length of nine inches with a wingspan of 21 inches. It has brown dorsal feathers with patches of white spots and a white underside with brown bar-shaped spots, along with large yellow eyes and a white chin that give it an alert, almost cartoonish expression when it stands sentry at the mouth of its burrow.
What truly separates this species from every other owl on this list is its schedule and its home. Burrowing owls are different from other owls, as they are active during daytime hours rather than at night. They dig or take over shallow burrows in open, sandy ground, and the owls use burrows, which are typically 5-10 feet long, for nesting and shelter.
Important Note: The Florida burrowing owl is classified as State Threatened by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, meaning taking, possessing, or disturbing the owls, their burrows, or their eggs is prohibited without a permit. The species was formally listed as a state-designated threatened species in 2017.
Florida’s smallest owl species is primarily found in peninsular Florida, with isolated populations in the Panhandle and the Keys. Development pressure on open, sandy lots has pushed many populations into urban and suburban settings, particularly in Southwest Florida, which is one reason this species appears on the state’s list of threatened and endangered animals. Anyone who spots a burrow with fresh droppings or feathers nearby should give the area wide berth and report concerns to the FWC’s burrowing owl program rather than approaching, since disturbance can cause adults to abandon active nests.
6. Short-eared Owl
The short-eared owl, Asio flammeus, is one of the least predictable owls a Florida birdwatcher might encounter, largely because it isn’t a resident species at all. This medium-sized owl breeds far to the north and only shows up in Florida as an irregular winter visitor, typically favoring wide-open habitats like prairies, pastures, and airport grasslands.
Its flight style is often the giveaway before plumage details are even visible. Short-eared owls hunt low over open ground in a slow, wavering pattern that has earned comparisons to a giant moth, quartering back and forth across fields at dawn and dusk in search of small rodents.
Because sightings in Florida are sporadic and tied to irruption years when northern prey populations crash, this species draws considerable attention from birders whenever one turns up. Its buffy, streaked plumage and short, barely visible ear tufts distinguish it from the state’s more common resident species, and its daytime hunting habits put it in the same general activity window as the burrowing owl, even though the two rarely share the same specific habitat.
7. Snowy Owl
No Florida owl generates more excitement, or more disbelief, than the snowy owl. Bubo scandiacus is an Arctic tundra specialist that almost never has a reason to fly as far south as the Sunshine State, which makes any confirmed Florida sighting genuinely newsworthy among birders.
These are large, powerfully built owls with bright white or lightly barred plumage, a rounded head with no visible ear tufts, and piercing yellow eyes. Adult males tend to be nearly pure white, while females and younger birds carry more dark barring across the body and wings.
Key Insight: Snowy owl appearances far outside their normal range are almost always tied to irruption years, when a booming lemming population up north leads to a population surge, followed by a winter food shortage that pushes young owls to wander unusually far south in search of prey.
When a snowy owl does appear in Florida, it’s typically a young, inexperienced bird exhausted from a long, disorienting journey, often resting in open fields, dunes, or airport grasslands that superficially resemble Arctic tundra. Because these visits are so rare and the birds are already stressed from the trip, wildlife officials generally ask observers to view from a distance and avoid crowding the animal. Comparing this species to the resident owls found in neighboring states, such as the ones covered in guides to the owls of Louisiana or the owls of Maine, helps put just how far off course a Florida snowy owl sighting really is into perspective.
Florida’s owl population reflects the state’s habitat diversity, from cypress swamps and pine flatwoods to open prairies and sandy urban lots. Five species call the peninsula home year-round, while the short-eared and snowy owls appear only as occasional, weather-driven visitors from the north. Anyone hoping to add these birds to a life list should focus on dusk and dawn hours, listen for calls before scanning for shapes, and check with local raptor and birding groups for recent sighting reports, since owl activity shifts with the seasons and, in the case of the snowy owl, with events happening thousands of miles away in the Arctic. For a broader look at how these species compare to owls found elsewhere in North America, the general guide to owl species offers useful context on the wider family these seven Florida birds belong to.