Midwest · Mississippi Flyway
Owls in Michigan
Owls in Michigan come down to 8 species with regular eBird records, led by the Barred Owl. Together they account for 54,908 of the 20 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 0.3% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: Barred Owl, Great Horned Owl, Eastern Screech-Owl, Snowy Owl, Short-eared Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Burrowing Owl and Boreal Owl. Owls are mostly nocturnal hunters, so they are far more often heard than seen; learning the calls is how most people find them. Several species nest in tree cavities or old woodpecker holes, and a few use open nest boxes.
Owls in Michigan: every species, most-reported first
Every owl with at least 25 eBird records in the state from 2020–2024, most-reported first. The status label is derived from each species’ own monthly share of all state records.
1. Barred Owl (Strix varia) — 16,254 records, 0.08% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
2. Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) — 14,782 records, 0.08% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from September to April and peaking in December.
3. Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio) — 10,601 records, 0.05% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from August to February and peaking in December.
4. Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) — 7,365 records, 0.04% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from December to February and peaking in January.
5. Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) — 3,871 records, 0.02% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to February and peaking in December.
6. Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) — 1,792 records, 0.01% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to February and peaking in December.
7. Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) — 127 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in September with a peak in September.
8. Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus) — 116 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in October and November with a peak in November.
When to see owls in Michigan
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, owls are most prominent in December, January and February and least in June and July. 1 of the 8 species is year-round — Barred Owl — so there is no month without them.
Winter visitors. Great Horned Owl arrives around September and leaves after April (peak December); Eastern Screech-Owl arrives around August and leaves after February (peak December); Snowy Owl arrives around December and leaves after February (peak January); Short-eared Owl arrives around November and leaves after February (peak December); Northern Saw-whet Owl arrives around October and leaves after February (peak December).
Passage migrants. Burrowing Owl is reported mainly in September; Boreal Owl is reported mainly in October and November.
Attracting owls to Michigan backyards
You cannot feed owls, but you can host them: mature trees, a nest box of the right dimensions for the local species, and a yard without rodenticide (which poisons the owls that eat the rodents) are what matter.
In Michigan the owl most likely to turn up is the Barred Owl. Its own page covers month-by-month activity and attraction tips for this state.
Owls in Michigan: FAQ
How many species of owls are there in Michigan?
8 species of owls have regular eBird records in Michigan (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): Barred Owl, Great Horned Owl, Eastern Screech-Owl, Snowy Owl, Short-eared Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Burrowing Owl and Boreal Owl.
What is the most common owl in Michigan?
The Barred Owl, with 16,254 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Great Horned Owl with 14,782. It is a year-round resident, reported in every month.
When is the best time to see owls in Michigan?
December, January and February, when the combined share of Michigan eBird records belonging to owls is highest. Winter visitors such as the Great Horned Owl arrive around September.
More birds in Michigan
Owls in other states
Owls in Michigan: sources
Every number on this page comes from the EOD – eBird Observation Dataset published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and distributed through GBIF under a CC BY 4.0 license: Michigan records from 2020–2024, retrieved 2026-09-18. Species are drawn from the families Strigidae and Tytonidae; only species with at least 25 records are listed, and a species is called a year-round resident when its monthly share of state records stays above 30% of its own peak in ten or more months. “Records” are individual eBird observations, so they reflect how often birders report a species, not a population count.