Three screech-owls are found in North America: eastern, western and whiskered. But about 22 screech-owl species are found in the world, all in the Americas. Estimated breeding populations of ...

The elf owl is the smallest of its kind, only 5 to 7 inches tall. Compare that to the tallest owl — the great gray — which can grow to a height of 2 to 3 feet.

Jaymi Heimbuch is a writer and photographer specializing in wildlife conservation, technology, and food. She is the author of "The Ethiopian Wolf: Hope at the Edge of Extinction." Owls have been part ...