Northern Barred Owl
Strix Varia
Written by Kathy Richards
The barred owl is one of two owls without ear tufts. Like other owls its ears are asymmetrical holes in the head and are under the feathers. Its name comes from what appears to be bars just below the head. Pleistocene record has fossils of barred owls that are 11,000 years old. These fossils were found in TN, Fla and Ontario.
Photo credit: Mdf, CC BY-SA 3.0
HABITAT:
The barred owl is a cavity nester. It needs large trees with holes. It prefers moist woodlands and swamps. The deeper and darker the better. It especially likes hemlock and pine forests that are very thick. Their ideal habitat is woodlands with streams, lakes, marshes in or bordering them. Their territory is 200-400 acres. Known to hunt in towns and cities at night.
NESTING:
Nests are built in large tree cavities. they have been known to uses old hawk nests, crow nests or squirrel nests. Eggs are laid between Feb and March. Typically they lay 2-3 eggs which are incubated for 28 days. Eggs will hatch 48 hrs to 1 week apart.
Barred owls have been known to reuse nests for many years.
BEHAVIOR:
Typically nocturnal hunters they can be seen and heard hunting during the day when they have a brood. If it does hunt during the day it will most often sleep that night.
The barred owl has a habit of drinking and bathing even in the winter. It has been known to visit campsites and watch not far from the campfire.
It’s call sounds like it is saying “Who Cooks For You? Who Cooks for You all?” Other calls include shrieks, deep chuckles, harsh laughing, maniacal gibbering, barks and howls.
FOOD:
It eats mice and other small mammals as well as frogs, salamanders, birds, invertebrates such as crayfish and large insects, fish, turtles including the box turtle, lizards and snakes. It has also been known to take larger animals such as the opossum, mink and smaller weasels as well as backyard chickens and ducks. They will even go after the screech owl and long eared owl.
PREDATORS: