In length, the Great gray owl is Oregon's largest owl, though it weighs less than the Great horned and Snowy owls.

It is sooty gray to brownish above and lacks ear tufts. The prominent facial disc, outlined in black, contains a series of fine concentric rings that surround piercing yellow eyes. Despite its large size, both feet and bill are small. Sexes are similar.

It is an uncommon to rare inhabitant of forests adjacent to openings above 3,000 feet in the Cascades, Blue, and Wallowa mountains. Most observations in the Cascades are from east of the crest, though they have been discovered breeding west of the crest in the Willamette National Forest.

The Great gray owl is an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in the Blue Mountains, East Cascades, Klamath Mountains and West Cascades ecoregions.

Hear the call of the Great gray owl

Photo by Art Wolf