Barred Owl
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| Barred Owl | ||||||||||||||
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| Strix varia Barton, 1799 |
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Syrnium varium |
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.
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[edit] Distribution and habitat
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. Barred Owls may be partly responsible for the recent decline of the Northern 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 man made 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 out-compete the former, leading to decreased populations of the native owls.[2]
Recent studies show suburban neighborhoods can be ideal habitat for barred owls. Using transmitters, scientists found that populations increased faster in the suburban settings than in old growth forest. The main danger to owls in suburban settings is from cars. The increased offspring offset the death rate due to impacts from cars and disease.[3]
[edit] Description
The adult is 44 cm long with a 112 cm wingspan. It has a pale face with dark rings around the eyes, a yellow beak and brown eyes. It is the only typical owl of the eastern United States which has brown eyes; all others have yellow eyes. The head is round and lacks ear tufts, a distinction from the Short-eared Owl. The upper parts are mottled gray-brown. The underparts are light with markings; the chest is barred horizontally while the belly is streaked lengthwise. The legs and feet are covered in feathers up to the talons.[4]
[edit] Behavior and ecology
[edit] Reproduction
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. If a nest site has proved suitable in the past they will often reuse it as the birds are non-migratory. In the United States, eggs are laid from early-January in southern Florida to mid-April in northern Maine, and consist of 2 to 4 eggs per clutch. Eggs are brooded by the female with hatching taking place approximately 4 weeks later. Young owls fledge four to five weeks after hatching.[5]
[edit] Feeding habits
The diet of the Barred Owl consists mostly of mice of many species, but it also feeds on rabbits, chipmunks, foxes, Opossums and also birds such as grouse and doves. It occasionally wades into water in order to capture fish or terrapins.[4]
The Barred Owl hunts by waiting on a high perch at night, or flying through the woods and swooping down on prey. It generally hunts near dawn or dusk, though it may also hunt on cloudy days. It may fly even in full daylight when disturbed. Of the North American owls, it is the species most likely to be active during the day, especially when raising chicks.[4]
[edit] Vocalization
The usual call is a series of eight accented hoots ending in oo-aw, with a downward pitch at the end. The most common mnemonic device for remembering the call is "Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all." It is noisy in most seasons. When agitated, this species will make a buzzy, rasping hiss. While calls are most common at night, the birds do call during the day as well.
[edit] References
- ^ Barred Owl Displaces Northern Spotted Owl at Olympic, Scott Gremel, Natural Resources Year in Review, National Park System.
- ^ Using Ecological-Niche Modeling to Predict Barred Owl Invasions with Implications for Spotted Owl Conservation, A. Townsend Peterson and C. Richard Robins, Conservation Biology, pages 1161-1165, Volume 17, No. 4, August 2003
- ^ Owls Get Wise to Better Life in Cities, Jeanna Bryner, LiveScience Staff Writer, 2007
- ^ a b c Terres, J. K. (1980). The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds. New York, NY: Knopf, 665. ISBN 0394466519.
- ^ Barred Owl Factsheet, Lee and Rose Warner Nature Center, 2008
- 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
- Eleanor the Urban Barred Owl Rogue Valley, Oregon, historic neighborhood loves its resident Barred Owl
- 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
- Short Video of a Barred Owl in North Carolina - Stellar Media Video
- A Series of short Barred Owl videos from Florida - OwlWatch.org
