7. Great Gray Owl

HOT SPOT: Sax-zim Bog, Minnesota

A bird of the far north, the great gray owl is found in North America’s boreal and high mountain western forests and across Eurasia. It takes up to seven small mammals daily to sustain these large owls. Winter is the best time to spot a great gray owl, when small numbers irrupt southward. Observers and photographers should give great grays—and other wildlife—plenty of space.