Among the largest in its family, the Great Gray Owl holds the title as North America’s longest owl species. This majestic bird’s size, coloration, and range have inspired a host of nicknames, including Spectral Owl, Lapland Owl, Spruce Owl, and Sooty Owl. The Great Gray’s lightly mottled plumage, speckled with lighter gray, tan, and white, allows it to blend beautifully into the wooded environments it favors. Its large head lacks ear tufts, and it has an especially large facial disk and piercing

Imagine being a Barred Owl mother living on the West Coast of the United States. It’s your first time having babies. They are a couple months old and still relying on you for food. One night you hear the sound of your own voice so you go to check out that hoot only you never return to your children because the US FWS equipped men with speakers and pew pew you were meant by a firing squad when you heard the sound of your own hoot. The next night the same thing happens this time dad goes to invest