We have 5 native owl species that roam around our surrounding natural areas here in Florida. The burrowing owl, barred owl, barn owl, eastern screech owl, and great horned owl are all native to Florida. While most owl species are more active at night, several are common in urban areas so you may spot them around your neighborhood or even in your backyard. Florida’s only diurnal (active during the day) species is the burrowing owl which is often seen in open areas such as sports fields.
Owls are beneficial to our ecosystem and provide many necessary services. The main service they provide is population control, especially rodent species. By helping to control rodent populations, owls help prevent the spread of disease in addition to minimizing the damage they can cause. These rodent species have been known to damage crops, homes, and even land with an overgrowth of their populations. While owls play a vital role in the ecosystem, many owl species are decreasing in population due to a loss of habitat associated with an increase of development activities such as logging, agriculture, and urban sprawl. Owls rely on forested areas to live and hunt so by removing these areas they have fewer options for nesting and their food supply is reduced. You can help declining populations by introducing nesting boxes into their habitats, help protect natural areas where these animals naturally live, remove soccer nets when not in use to prevent entanglement, adopt a poison free stance on pest control and keep your cat indoors or closely monitored when outside.