Types of Nocturnal Birds of Prey

Owls, as nocturnal birds of prey that stay awake in the night, exist on all the continents except for Antarctica. These solitary, winged carnivores belong to the scientific order Strigiformes, which further divides owls into two families: Strigidae, or the true owls, and Tytonidae, or barn owls.

  1. North America

    • Over 20 species of screech owls -- Strigidae from the United States and parts of Canada and Mexico -- hunt from perches in open landscapes. Their habitat includes areas of trees with hollows that their prey of insects, reptiles and small mammals call home. One species, the eastern screech owl, is a small gray or reddish-brown woodland owl found in the eastern United States, and usually begins hunting at sunset. The western screech owl has gray or red feathers and bright yellow eyes, and lives in low elevation areas in the western United States. They begin hunting about 30 minutes after sunset, and can attack humans, according to The Owl Pages website.

    Eurasia

    • Hawk owls are Strigidae located in forests of Europe and Christmas Island, near Indonesia. The term "hawk" refers to its long tail and hawk-like wing shape. The northern hawk owl -- a medium-sized, non-migratory bird commonly found in forests of Eurasia -- has a grayish-brown body with yellow eyes. It typically hunts late at night from a lookout, and swiftly swoops down to catch small mammals, frogs and fish.

    Australia, Africa and Asia

    • Barn owls, or Tytonidae, are medium- to large-sized owls with big heads and heart-shaped faces. They fall into two sub-families: the common barn owl and the oriental bay owl. The common barn owl is a large, light gray owl primarily found in open woodlands of Australia and Africa. It hunts small ground mammals such as mice and rabbits in open woodlands during late hours of the night. The oriental bay owl -- a small, light chestnut owl found only in Southeast Asia -- dwells in woodlands and mangroves, hunting for small mammals, birds and insects, explains the World Owl Trust.

    Americas

    • Horned owls live in the Americas and Europe. As large Strigidae, they often have spots or stripes and flaring eyebrow feathers that resemble horns. The great horned owl -- the most widely distributed horned owl in the Americas -- typically begins hunting at dusk, but can be found in the mid afternoon or morning seeking a diversity of prey from frogs to dogs. It kills its prey upon capture with its large talons, then swallows them whole.