Family
Owls
Strigidae
220 species with a page on Motmot.
Order: Strigiformes
The true owls or typical owls (family Strigidae) are one of the two generally accepted families of owls, the other being the barn owls and bay owls (Tytonidae). This large family comprises 230 living or recently extinct species in 23 genera. The Strigidae owls have a cosmopolitan distribution and are found on every continent except Antarctica.
Species in this family
- Northern Saw-whet Owl Aegolius acadicus
- Tengmalm's Owl Aegolius funereus
- Buff-fronted Owl Aegolius harrisii
- Unspotted Saw-whet Owl Aegolius ridgwayi
- Abyssinian Owl Asio abyssinicus
- Marsh Owl Asio capensis
- Striped Owl Asio clamator
- Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus
- Jamaican Owl Asio grammicus
- Madagascar Owl Asio madagascariensis
- Long-eared Owl Asio otus
- Fearful Owl Asio solomonensis
- Stygian Owl Asio stygius
- Forest Owlet Athene blewitti
- Spotted Owlet Athene brama
- Burrowing Owl Athene cunicularia
- Guadalcanal Owl Athene granti
- West Solomons Owl Athene jacquinoti
- Malaita Owl Athene malaitae
- Little Owl Athene noctua
- Makira Owl Athene roseoaxillaris
- White-browed Owl Athene superciliaris
- Spotted Eagle Owl Bubo africanus
- Pharaoh Eagle Owl Bubo ascalaphus
- Rock Eagle Owl Bubo bengalensis
- Eurasian Eagle Owl Bubo bubo
- Cape Eagle Owl Bubo capensis
- Greyish Eagle Owl Bubo cinerascens
- Lesser Horned Owl Bubo magellanicus
- Arabian Eagle Owl Bubo milesi
- Snowy Owl Bubo scandiacus
- Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus
- Albertine Owlet Glaucidium albertinum
- Yungas Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium bolivianum
- Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium brasilianum
- African Barred Owlet Glaucidium capense
- Javan Owlet Glaucidium castanopterum
- Chestnut-backed Owlet Glaucidium castanotum
- Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium costaricanum
- Asian Barred Owlet Glaucidium cuculoides
- Northern Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium gnoma
- Central American Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium griseiceps
- Amazonian Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium hardyi
- Andean Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium jardinii
- Least Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium minutissimum
- Austral Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium nana
- Cloud-forest Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium nubicola
- Colima Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium palmarum
- Subtropical Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium parkeri
- Eurasian Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium passerinum
- Pearl-spotted Owlet Glaucidium perlatum
- Peruvian Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium peruanum
- Jungle Owlet Glaucidium radiatum
- Tamaulipas Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium sanchezi
- Cuban Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium siju
- Sjöstedt's Owlet Glaucidium sjostedti
- Red-chested Owlet Glaucidium tephronotum
- Puerto Rican Owl Gymnasio nudipes
- Maned Owl Jubula lettii
- Blakiston's Fish-Owl Ketupa blakistoni
- Dusky Eagle Owl Ketupa coromanda
- Tawny Fish-Owl Ketupa flavipes
- Buffy Fish-Owl Ketupa ketupu
- Verreaux's Eagle Owl Ketupa lactea
- Akun Eagle Owl Ketupa leucosticta
- Spot-bellied Eagle Owl Ketupa nipalensis
- Philippine Eagle Owl Ketupa philippensis
- Fraser's Eagle Owl Ketupa poensis
- Shelley's Eagle Owl Ketupa shelleyi
- Barred Eagle Owl Ketupa sumatrana
- Brown Fish-Owl Ketupa zeylonensis
- Crested Owl Lophostrix cristata
- Bare-legged Owl Margarobyas lawrencii
- White-throated Screech-Owl Megascops albogularis
- Eastern Screech-Owl Megascops asio
- Black-capped Screech-Owl Megascops atricapilla
- Bearded Screech-Owl Megascops barbarus
- Choco Screech-Owl Megascops centralis
- Tropical Screech-Owl Megascops choliba
- Bare-shanked Screech-Owl Megascops clarkii
- Pacific Screech-Owl Megascops cooperi
- Santa Marta Screech-Owl Megascops gilesi
- Middle American Screech-Owl Megascops guatemalae
- Montane Forest Screech-Owl Megascops hoyi
- Rufescent Screech-Owl Megascops ingens
- Western Screech-Owl Megascops kennicottii
- Koepcke's Screech-Owl Megascops koepckeae
- Cloud-forest Screech-Owl Megascops marshalli
- Cinnamon Screech-Owl Megascops petersoni
- Peruvian Screech-Owl Megascops roboratus
- Foothill Screech-Owl Megascops roraimae
- Long-tufted Screech-Owl Megascops sanctaecatarinae
- Balsas Screech-Owl Megascops seductus
- Whiskered Screech-Owl Megascops trichopsis
- Tawny-bellied Screech-Owl Megascops watsonii
- Elf Owl Micrathene whitneyi
- Andaman Boobook Ninox affinis
- Laughing Owl Ninox albifacies
- Australian Boobook Ninox boobook
- Togian Boobook Ninox burhani
- Barking Owl Ninox connivens
- Tanimbar Boobook Ninox forbesi
- Timor Boobook Ninox fusca
- Buru Boobook Ninox hantu
- Halmahera Boobook Ninox hypogramma
- Cinnabar Boobook Ninox ios
- Northern Boobook Ninox japonica
- Tasmanian Boobook Ninox leucopsis
- Camiguin Boobook Ninox leventisi
- Mindoro Boobook Ninox mindorensis
- Christmas Island Boobook Ninox natalis
- Morepork Ninox novaeseelandiae
- Hume's Boobook Ninox obscura
- Ochre-bellied Boobook Ninox ochracea
- New Britain Boobook Ninox odiosa
- Luzon Boobook Ninox philippensis
- Alor Boobook Ninox plesseni
- Speckled Boobook Ninox punctulata
- Chocolate Boobook Ninox randi
- Sulu Boobook Ninox reyi
- Rote Boobook Ninox rotiensis
- Sumba Boobook Ninox rudolfi
- Rufous Owl Ninox rufa
- Cebu Boobook Ninox rumseyi
- Brown Boobook Ninox scutulata
- Mindanao Boobook Ninox spilocephala
- Romblon Boobook Ninox spilonotus
- Seram Boobook Ninox squamipila
- Powerful Owl Ninox strenua
- Least Boobook Ninox sumbaensis
- Papuan Boobook Ninox theomacha
- Bismarck Boobook Ninox variegata
- Flores Scops Owl Otus alfredi
- Nicobar Scops Owl Otus alius
- Javan Scops Owl Otus angelinae
- Indian Scops Owl Otus bakkamoena
- Andaman Scops Owl Otus balli
- Biak Scops Owl Otus beccarii
- Principe Scops Owl Otus bikegila
- Rajah Scops Owl Otus brookii
- Pallid Scops Owl Otus brucei
- Sangihe Scops Owl Otus collari
- Cyprus Scops Owl Otus cyprius
- Ryukyu Scops Owl Otus elegans
- Enggano Scops Owl Otus enganensis
- Everett's Scops Owl Otus everetti
- Palawan Scops Owl Otus fuliginosus
- Giant Scops Owl Otus gurneyi
- Sao Tome Scops Owl Otus hartlaubi
- Sandy Scops Owl Otus icterorhynchus
- Seychelles Scops Owl Otus insularis
- Sokoke Scops Owl Otus ireneae
- Rinjani Scops Owl Otus jolandae
- Sunda Scops Owl Otus lempiji
- Collared Scops Owl Otus lettia
- Luzon Scops Owl Otus longicornis
- Moluccan Scops Owl Otus magicus
- Sulawesi Scops Owl Otus manadensis
- Mantanani Scops Owl Otus mantananensis
- Mayotte Scops Owl Otus mayottensis
- Philippine Scops Owl Otus megalotis
- Banggai Scops Owl Otus mendeni
- Mentawai Scops Owl Otus mentawi
- Mindoro Scops Owl Otus mindorensis
- Mindanao Scops Owl Otus mirus
- Moheli Scops Owl Otus moheliensis
- Negros Scops Owl Otus nigrorum
- Arabian Scops Owl Otus pamelae
- Pemba Scops Owl Otus pembaensis
- Palau Scops Owl Otus podarginus
- Reddish Scops Owl Otus rufescens
- Madagascar Scops Owl Otus rutilus
- White-fronted Scops Owl Otus sagittatus
- Eurasian Scops Owl Otus scops
- Japanese Scops Owl Otus semitorques
- African Scops Owl Otus senegalensis
- Wallace's Scops Owl Otus silvicola
- Socotra Scops Owl Otus socotranus
- Mountain Scops Owl Otus spilocephalus
- Sula Scops Owl Otus sulaensis
- Oriental Scops Owl Otus sunia
- Wetar Scops Owl Otus tempestatis
- Serendib Scops Owl Otus thilohoffmanni
- Simeulue Scops Owl Otus umbra
- Flammulated Owl Psiloscops flammeolus
- Southern White-faced Owl Ptilopsis granti
- Northern White-faced Owl Ptilopsis leucotis
- Tawny-browed Owl Pulsatrix koeniswaldiana
- Band-bellied Owl Pulsatrix melanota
- Spectacled Owl Pulsatrix perspicillata
- Vermiculated Fishing-Owl Scotopelia bouvieri
- Pel's Fishing-Owl Scotopelia peli
- Rufous Fishing-Owl Scotopelia ussheri
- Rufous-banded Owl Strix albitarsis
- Tawny Owl Strix aluco
- Omani Owl Strix butleri
- Chaco Owl Strix chacoensis
- Fulvous Owl Strix fulvescens
- Desert Owl Strix hadorami
- Black-banded Owl Strix huhula
- Rusty-barred Owl Strix hylophila
- Brown Wood-Owl Strix leptogrammica
- Maghreb Owl Strix mauritanica
- Great Grey Owl Strix nebulosa
- Black-and-white Owl Strix nigrolineata
- Himalayan Owl Strix nivicolum
- Spotted Owl Strix occidentalis
- Mottled Wood-Owl Strix ocellata
- Rufous-legged Owl Strix rufipes
- Cinereous Owl Strix sartorii
- Spotted Wood-Owl Strix seloputo
- Ural Owl Strix uralensis
- Barred Owl Strix varia
- Mottled Owl Strix virgata
- African Wood-Owl Strix woodfordii
- Northern Hawk Owl Surnia ulula
- Collared Owlet Taenioptynx brodiei
- Sunda Owlet Taenioptynx sylvaticus
- Papuan Owl Uroglaux dimorpha
- Long-whiskered Owlet Xenoglaux loweryi
Lookalikes compared
- African Scops Owl vs Southern White-faced Owl
- Arabian Eagle Owl vs Pharaoh Eagle Owl
- Bare-shanked Screech-Owl vs Pacific Screech-Owl
- Barred Eagle Owl vs Spotted Wood-Owl
- Bearded Screech-Owl vs Pacific Screech-Owl
- Burrowing Owl vs Mottled Owl
- Burrowing Owl vs Rufous-legged Owl
- Central American Pygmy-Owl vs Burrowing Owl
- Eurasian Eagle Owl vs Maghreb Owl
- Eurasian Pygmy-Owl vs Tawny Owl
- Eurasian Scops Owl vs Eurasian Pygmy-Owl
- Eurasian Scops Owl vs Long-eared Owl
- Eurasian Scops Owl vs Maghreb Owl
- Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl vs Rusty-barred Owl
- Great Grey Owl vs Long-eared Owl
- Greyish Eagle Owl vs Verreaux's Eagle Owl
- Lesser Horned Owl vs Rufous-legged Owl
- Northern Pygmy-Owl vs Central American Pygmy-Owl
- Northern Pygmy-Owl vs Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl
- Pharaoh Eagle Owl vs Little Owl
- Pharaoh Eagle Owl vs Maghreb Owl
- Spectacled Owl vs Mottled Owl
- Verreaux's Eagle Owl vs African Barred Owlet
- Whiskered Screech-Owl vs Eastern Screech-Owl