Scientific Name: Strix varia
These owls are a beautiful, awesome creature. Their colors/markings are just beautiful. They are so interesting & personable. Even though my direct experience is limited, I was truly touched by these birds!
These owls are medium in size, ranging from about 1-1&1/2lbs.
Their wingspan is approximately 38-50in.
Their length ranges from 16-25in.
Owls are classified as a raptor, but in reading further, you will find many things about owls that are much different than other raptors.
Their coloring is a greyish-brownish coloring with horizontal white barring.
It does not have ear tufts. It has a rounded head, and a long tail. They have a yellow beak. Their legs are covered with feathers. Owl eyes are placed in the front, instead of on the sides of the head, like other birds. This gives the owl a better depth perception. Their eyes are also fixed in the socket - they can't not move the eyes (such as, side to side), and therefore have to turn their heads to look at things. Their ears are just holes in the sides of the head with feathers covering them. And, did you know what else I learned researching for this blog post?!? Owls ear holes are placed so that 1 on 1 side is higher than the other side. This, I read, is to give the owl better judgment in where a sound is coming from - high or low.
I read this owl was first described by Benjamin Smith Barton, in 1799!
This owl also has various common names that it has been called. These names include Northern Barred Owl, Swamp Owl, Hoot Owl, Striped Owl, Rain Owl, Round-headed Owl and more.
These owls are nocturnal. And although nocturnal, they could be seen at dusk or dawn, or even during the day! :)
They are very vocal - and like several species, call in the daytime, as well as, in the night. You can go to THIS website & hear some vocal files of this owl. (Also reference below:)
Barred Owls are opportunistic feeders. I read that the main diet of this owl is voles. It sits in a perch, & waits to swoop down on its prey. It's prey also includes shrews & deer mice. It may also prey upon squirrels, rats, young rabbits, bats, moles, opossums, mink & weasels. At times, they will take other prey, including some birds, such as woodpeckers, grouse, quail, jays, pigeons & blackbirds, and other animals such as, frogs, fish, turtles, snakes, lizards, scorpions. They may eat insects like crickets, beetles or grasshoppers. I have read that they will also feed upon skunks, woodchucks, geese & herons. Owls do not pick meat off to eat, they eat whole chunks, including the bones, fur/feathers, etc. They can not digest the fur/bones, so the owl regurgitates "owl pellets". These pellets contain the undigested portions of the meal. You can almost put an animal's skeleton back together again. You can also learn a lot about what owls are eating. The owl does not soar, like a vulture. The owl flaps his wings to stay in flight. Owls have soft feathers in their wings, that are very quiet when the owl is flying. This helps the owl to get his prey, since their wings are virtually silent. Having an owl fly past you & not HEAR it is a WEIRD thing! lol An interesting experience!
I read that they are often associated with Red-Shouldered Hawks, and have been seen nesting closely to them without conflict.
Barred owls do not catch birds on the fly. They catch the birds as they settle into nighttime roosting.
The Barred Owl likes to nest in cavities, but will also use abandoned nests of other raptors, such as Red-Shouldered or Coopers Hawks, or abandoned Squirrel or Crow's nests. They lay 2-4 white eggs, that are almost perfectly round. They have a rough texture. The incubation period lasts approximately 28-33 days. I read incubation begins with the first egg laid. They have one clutch a year, but I read that the breeding season for them is long and if they should lose a clutch for some reason, they are likely to lay a new one. The male brings food to the female while she incubates the eggs. The owlets begin to leave the nest at 4 weeks of age, and cannot yet fly. They climb from the nest & perch on branches. At this time, they are called branchers (according to my research). They fledge from the nest at approximately 35-40 days. (THIS site has some great owlet pics!) When the down has been lost, there is no visible difference in adult & juvenile plumage (feathering). The parents care for young for around 4 months. The young do not go far from their nesting area & settle permanently. Adults pair for life, and use nesting sites for many years. I read they do not migrate, and remain on the same @ 1 sq. mi. of territory throughout their lives.
The female owl (as is commone with raptors) is the larger of the 2 sexes, but generally, with Barred Owls, that is the only difference between males, females, & molted youngsters (juveniles).
The Barred Owl lives approximately 10 years in the wild. They are known to live 20+ years in captivity. Their main natural enemy is the Great Horned Owl. However, man is a cause of much fo the deaths in the wild - being hit by cars, shootings, etc.
They are widespread throughout the United States, although there are areas where they aren't. The website linked above has a great dispersion map on it.
References:
Barred Owl
Barred Owl - Strix varia - Information, Pictures, Sounds
Carolina Raptor Center - Raptor Species: Barred Owl
Barred Owls
All About Birds: Barred Owl
Barred Owl
Barred Owl Information
OwlCam Homepage
Barred Owl - Strix varia -- Western North Carolina Nature Center
Barred Owl - Strix varia
North American Owl Identification Guide
Barred Owl - Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota
1 comment:
I love barred owls. I rehabilitated one and it lived in our kitchen and then in our screen porch until I successfully released it--after teaching it to hunt.
Post a Comment