Flammulated Owl

Overview
Flammulated Owl: Small owl with two color morphs (gray-brown and rufous) with many intermediate forms. The head has very small ear tufts, and dark eyes surrounded by rust-brown, pale-gray facial disk, and white eyebrows that start at the bill. It is the only small owl with dark, not yellow, eyes.

Range and Habitat
Flammulated Owl: Breeds in western U.S. and spends winters in central and southern Mexico as far south as Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. Prefers montane forests supporting aspen, ponderosa, and Jeffrey Pines.

The Flammulated Owl has a current rating of Least Concern. This bird species was previously classified as Lower Risk. The evaluation was lowered to Least Concern in order to reflect the range and the population of the Flammulated Owl. The range of this bird is now 1 million square kilometers. The population of the Flammulated Owl is about 37,000 individual birds. This bird is native to North America and Guatemala. There are no known threats at this time that would indicate that the Flammulated Owl is in danger of possible population decline.

INTERESTING FACTS
The Flammulated Owl was once considered rare, but improved census techniques revealed that they actually are common. Some consider it the most abundant owl of western pine forests. Their monotonous flat toot can be difficult to locate. The softness of the call, together with the gradual beginning and end make its direction hard to detect. In addition, when the owl detects a person, it sings even more softly, making it sound as if the owl is far away. A group of owls has many collective nouns, including a "bazaar", "glaring", "parliament", "stooping", and "wisdom" of owls.