The Barred Owl

The Barred Owl is a large owl measuring 16 to 21 inches in length with a wing span of 3 ½ to 4 feet. It is primarily gray and brown with brown and white bars across its chest and a buff colored belly with vertical streaks. The head is round and pale in color with dark rings around its eyes, and its small yellow beak is almost hidden beneath the facial feathers. There are no ear tufts and the eyes are dark brown rather than yellow. Its legs are covered with feathers all the way down to its talons. Males, females and juveniles are similar in appearance with the female being slightly larger.

The Barred Owl is found all over the eastern United States, Canada and South America. In recent years its range has spread to parts of the western United States. Its preferred habitat is dense forests and heavily wooded swamps. They will hunt over farmland and open country but always return to the woods to roost.

Barred Owls establish long-term pairs and nest in the same territory year after year. They will use an abandoned hawk or crow's nest, but prefer a deep hollow in a tree. They don't actually build a nest but they will put soft feathers and grass at the bottom of the hollow.

The female lays 2 to 3 white eggs and incubates them for 28 to 33 days. The owlets are covered with white fluffy down and their eyes are closed for close to a week. They begin branching (hop out on the branch next to the nest) at 4 to 5 weeks but don't fledge until close to 6 weeks. The parents continue to provide food for the fledglings while they learn to hunt and fend for themselves.

The Barred Owls are carnivores and prey on mice, rabbits, chipmunks, and other small mammals. They will also hunt birds such as doves and grouse, and will even pull fish from the water.

The Barred Owl is a formidable hunter. They will sit on a high perch and watch for prey to wander into their line of sight, or fly through the woods and swoop down and grab its meal. They usually hunt at dawn or dusk, but have been seen out and about on cloudy days as well. Activity during the day is rarely seen outside of breeding season.

Like all owls, the Barred Owl eats the whole animal. Fur and bones that cannot be digested are regurgitated. Picking apart owl pellets can tell us a lot about both the owl and its prey.

The Barred Owl's flight is nearly silent due to the softness of its feathers. This feature gives it the advantage when hunting prey but the soft feathers are not as good at catching the wind. Owls will never soar with the eagles. Flight is limited to the hunt, and migrating is out of the question.

The Barred Owl's hoo-hoo-hoo-oo, hoo-hoo-hoo has often been said to sound like--Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you? It's a haunting cry in the night. As a child my family spent a lot of summer nights around the campfire. The eerie hoot of the Barred Owl added credence to the ghost stories, and sent shivers down my spine.