South · Mississippi Flyway
Owls in Tennessee
Owls in Tennessee come down to 7 species with regular eBird records, led by the Barred Owl. Together they account for 30,387 of the 8.7 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, Short-eared Owl, American Barn Owl, Snowy Owl and Northern Saw-whet 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 Tennessee: 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) — 16,795 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
2. Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) — 5,991 records, 0.07% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from July to March and peaking in December.
3. Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio) — 5,215 records, 0.06% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from July to February and peaking in September.
4. Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) — 1,028 records, 0.01% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to February and peaking in December.
5. American Barn Owl (Tyto furcata) — 1,014 records, 0.01% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
6. Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) — 193 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from December to January and peaking in January.
7. Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) — 151 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from June to September and peaking in December.
When to see owls in Tennessee
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, owls are most prominent in September, December and August and least in July and June. 2 of the 7 species are year-round — Barred Owl and American Barn Owl — so there is no month without them.
Winter visitors. Great Horned Owl arrives around July and leaves after March (peak December); Eastern Screech-Owl arrives around July and leaves after February (peak September); Short-eared Owl arrives around November and leaves after February (peak December); Snowy Owl arrives around December and leaves after January (peak January); Northern Saw-whet Owl arrives around June and leaves after September (peak December).
Attracting owls to Tennessee 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 Tennessee the owl most likely to turn up is the Barred Owl, a year-round resident, followed by the American Barn Owl. Its own page covers month-by-month activity and attraction tips for this state.
Owls in Tennessee: FAQ
How many species of owls are there in Tennessee?
7 species of owls have regular eBird records in Tennessee (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): Barred Owl, Great Horned Owl, Eastern Screech-Owl, Short-eared Owl, American Barn Owl, Snowy Owl and Northern Saw-whet Owl.
What is the most common owl in Tennessee?
The Barred Owl, with 16,795 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Great Horned Owl with 5,991. It is a year-round resident, reported in every month.
When is the best time to see owls in Tennessee?
September, December and August, when the combined share of Tennessee eBird records belonging to owls is highest. Winter visitors such as the Great Horned Owl arrive around July.
More birds in Tennessee
Owls in other states
Owls in Tennessee: 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: Tennessee 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.