Barred Owl
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| Strix varia Barton, 1799 |
The Barred Owl, Strix varia, is a large typical owl. It goes by many other names, including eight hooter, rain owl, wood owl, and striped owl, but is probably known best as the hoot owl.
Its breeding habitat is dense woods across Canada, the eastern United States and south to Central America; in recent years it has spread to the western United States. The Barred Owl's nest is often in a tree cavity; it may also take over an old nesting site used by a crow or squirrel. It is a permanent resident, but may wander after the nesting season.
The adult is 44 cm long with a 112 cm wingspan. It has a pale face with dark rings around the eyes, a yellow bill and dark eyes. The underparts are light with brown streaks; the upper parts are mottled brown. There are brown bars on the chest. The legs and feet are covered in feathers up to the talons. This owl does not have ear tufts, a distinction from the Short-eared Owl.
Barred Owls hunt by waiting on a high perch at night, or flying through the woods and swooping down on prey. They may also hunt near dawn or dusk. They mainly eat small mammals, such as mice and rabbits, and also small birds. Of the North American owls, they are the species most likely to be active during the day, especially when raising their chicks.
When agitated, this species will make a buzzy, rasping hiss. This owl may be displaced from more open woods by the Great Horned Owl.
Barred Owls may be partly responsible for the recent decline of the Spotted Owl, native to Washington, Oregon, and California. Since the 1960s, Barred Owls have been expanding their range westward from the eastern US, perhaps because manmade changes have created new suitable habitat in the west.[1] When Spotted Owls and Barred Owls share the same environment, the latter are generally more aggressive and outcompete the former, leading to decreased populations of the native owls.[2]
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Strix varia. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern.
[edit] External links
- Mystique of the Hoot Owl
- Audio clip of a barred owl call (in Audacity Audio Block format: most browser media plugins and 3rd party media players will recognize it)
- Barred Owl - Strix varia - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Barred Owl Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Barred Owl Information - South Dakota Birds and Birding
