General Description: Flammulated Owls (Otus flammeolus) are small owls with short, feathered ear tufts and dark eyes. The overall color is gray or brownish gray. In the Great Basin and points north, these birds are more gray, and in Utah and Colorado and south, they are more red.

Taxonomy: Strigiformes, Strigidae.

Favored Habitat: Flammulated Owls breed in open pine forests in the mountains, especially in ponderosa pine forests. where they can find an abundance of beetles, moths, crickets, and other big bugs.

Where to Find: Around Las Vegas, look for Flammulated Owls during summer in ponderosa pine forests such as those on Mt. Charleston, in Zion National Park, and in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. In winter, these birds migrate south into central Mexico.

Comments: These owls once were considered rare, but apparently improved census techniques reveal that they are common, if still difficult to detect. In some places, they might be the most abundant owl in the woods.

If you were a tasty beetle or a noisy cricket, this might be the last face you ever see!