Owls
In The Park
Species - Summary
I have seen (and photographed) four species of owl in or around Stanley Park - Barred, Great-Horned, Saw-Whet and Snowy. The latter was seen at Sunset Beach during an "irruption" year.
Most of this site deals with the Barred Owl - the observation pages do include some others. To aid in locating those observations (Great Horned, Saw-Whet and Snowy Owls) the pages for those species include more information and photos (or else links into the general observation history).
Another five species are possible visitors - as determined from sightings or other reports. These include - Great Grey (seen for two weeks one winter), Western Screech and Pygmy (heard during call-out surveys), Barn and Long-Eared (semi-reliable reports).
The Short-eared Owl has not been reported in Stanley Park. It is found elsewhere in the Lower Mainland.
The Hawk Owl and Burrowing Owl have not been reported in Stanley Park. They are very rare visitors to the Lower Mainland.
One species you will not see is the Spotted Owl, but I have included information on it for completeness. It is close to extirpation in Canada.
Over time I hope to add standard distribution maps and general information for the species just mentioned - included on their individual pages. However, since that information is widely available from other sources it is not my highest priority.
Some basic statistics follow, heaviest to lightest (averages or ranges of values are given), females are generally larger and heavier then the male (as indicated):
| Species | Scientific Name | Weight | Length | Wingspan |
| Great Horned | Bubo virginianus | 1000 - 2500 g. (f.) 680 - 1450 g. (m.) |
60 cm. 51 cm. |
143 cm. 134 cm. |
| Great Grey | Strix nebulosa | 925 - 1700 g. (f.) 800 - 1175 g. (m.) |
59 - 69 cm. | 130 cm. |
| Snowy | Bubo scandiacus (Nyctea scandiaca) |
780 - 2950 g. (f.) 700 - 2500 g. (m.) |
60 - 70 cm. 55 - 64 cm. |
132 cm. |
| Barred | Strix varia | 800 g. (f.) 630 g. (m.) |
51 cm. 48 cm. |
107 - 111 cm. |
| Spotted | Strix occidentalis | 550 - 760 g. (f.) 520 - 700 g. (m.) |
41 - 48 cm. | 100 cm. |
| Barn | Tyto alba | 400 - 700 g. | 29 - 44 cm. | 110 cm. |
| Short-Eared | Asio flammeus | 280 - 500 g. (f.) 200 - 450 g. (m.) |
38 cm. 37 cm. |
95 - 105 cm. |
| Long-Eared | Asio otus | 260 - 435 g. (f.) 220 - 305 g. (m.) |
37 - 40 cm. 35 - 38 cm. |
90 - 100 cm. |
| Northern Hawk | Surnia ulula | 320 - 345 g. (f.) 270 - 314 g. (m.) |
36 - 39 cm. | 74 - 81 cm. |
| Western Screech | Megascops kennicottii | 157 - 250 g. (f.) 131 - 210 g. (m.) |
21 - 24 cm. | 51 cm. |
| Burrowing | Athene cunicularia | 120 - 250 g. (f.) 130 - 185 g. (m.) |
19 - 25 cm. | 53 cm. |
| Northern Saw-whet | Aegolius acadicus | 100 g. (f.) 75 g. (m.) |
20 - 21.5 cm. 18 - 20 cm. |
43 cm. |
| Northern Pygmy | Glaucidium gnoma | 73 g. (f.) 62 g. (m.) |
16 - 18 cm. | 30 cm. |
These statistics are derived from a number of sources - see References page for my recommended list. Green indicates a species that I have seen in Stanley Park. Cyan indicates a species that has been seen or heard in the general area on at least one occasion (or during irruption years) - rare sightings. Magenta indicates a rare visitor or a once common, but now rare species for this area. Red indicates a species that you should report to wildlife authorities immediately if you encounter - no recorded sightings in the area. Do not post to public web sites!