Oregon Caves

Oregon Caves National Monument OWLS Saw-whet Owl The Saw-Whet Owl is a tiny, tuftless owl rarely seen unless found roosting in dense young evergreens or thickets. Its call is usually a series of short whistles. Great Horned Owl Great Horned Owls are twice the size of a crow and can lift small mammals as large as a skunk. They live in forests, woodlots, and streamsides, and open country. The male makes a series of hoots – Hoo! Hu-hu-hu, Hoo! Hoo! The female hoots are higher and shorter in sequence. Spotted Owl Owls swoop silently through the night sky to feed on rodents, birds, reptiles, fish, and large insects. We have four types of owls at the Oregon Caves National Monument – Saw-Whet Owls, Spotted Owls, Great Horned Owls, and Screech Owls. The Spotted Owls have large dark eyes and puffy round heads. They are endangered because they live in mature old growth forests – many of which have been cut down. Their call is a series of sharp, high pitched hoots usually in groups of three. Screech Owl Screech Owls are the common, small “eared” owl of towns, orchards, and woodlots. They are also found in wooded canyons. Their song is a quavering whistle. Screech owls are often the prey of spotted owls. Owl Pellet Owls eat their food without chewing. When their stomach is finished digesting the owl regurgitates the fur and bones in a small ball called an “owl pellet”. Owl pellets can often be found under locations where owls roost. You can tell a lot about where they hunt by the type of bones you find in their pellets. The chart below provides some help in identifying the bones you may find. skull jaw shoulder blades front legs hip hind legs rib vertebrae