How to Identify

• A medium-sized owl featuring a pale round facial disk, streaked brown chest, and tiny, often-invisible ear tufts. In flight, look for distinct black patches underneath the wing and an irregular, "moth-like" flight pattern low over the ground.

• Uniquely diurnal and crepuscular compared to other raptors, they are most active during the day, particularly around late afternoon, dusk, and dawn.

Where to Look

• Found in wide, expansive open spaces such as fields, pastures, hayfields, marshlands, and large agricultural lowlands.

• Most commonly observed in New York as winter residents (often roosting communally where prey like meadow voles are abundant.)

How to Protect

• Give roosting and hunting birds space by observing from a distance with binoculars or a scope; flushing wintering owls wastes their critical energy reserves during cold weather.

• Support grassland conservation initiatives and working-farm programs that encourage bird-friendly practices, such as delaying hayfield mowing until after ground-nesting birds have fledged.

• Protect large open fields and agricultural spaces from residential development and forest succession, preserving the large, contiguous hunting grounds these owls need.