barred owl

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Barred Owl
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Strigiformes
Family:	Strigidae
Genus:	Strix
Species:	S. varia
Binomial name
Strix varia Barton, 1799
Synonyms
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.

Description

Close-up of a barred owl in Richmond, Virginia

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.^[2]

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. 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]

Barred Owls and the Northern Spotted Owl

Gatineau Park, Gatineau, Quebec

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.^[4] 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.^[5] They have also been known to interbreed, with the hybrid names "Sparred Owl" or "Botted Owl".

On April 5, 2007 White House officials announced a proposal from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that shooting Barred Owls would aid in effects caused on the Spotted Owl.^[6] The proposal called for 18 sites to be constructed in Spotted Owl territory, where 12-32 owls could be shot at each site.^[6] Environmentalists fear that increasing blame in Barred Owls as population-decreasing proponents in Spotted Owls, will mean less attention will be paid to territorial protection, and logging will be reinstated in protected Spotted Owl areas.^[6]

Behavior and ecology

Barred Owl near Blue Spring State Park

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.^[7] 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.^[8]

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, hawks, and doves. It occasionally wades into water in order to capture fish or terrapins.^[2]

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.^[2]

A Barred Owl

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.

In Art

John James Audubon illustrates the Barred Owl in Birds of America (published, London 1827-38) as Plate 46 where it is shown threatening a Grey Squirrel. The image was engraved and colored by Robert Havell's, London workshops. The original watercolor by Audubon was purchased by the New-York Historical Society where it remains to this day (January 2009).

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Strix varia

• Barred Owl - Strix varia - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
• Barred Owl Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• Barred Owl Information and Photos - South Dakota Birds and Birding
• Eleanor the Urban Barred Owl Rogue Valley, Oregon, historic neighborhood loves its resident Barred Owl
• Mystique of the Hoot Owl
• Short Video of a Barred Owl in North Carolina - Stellar Media Video
• A Series of short Barred Owl videos from Florida - OwlWatch.org
• Barred Owl Bird Sound