Barred owl
The barred owl is a large owl commonly found in eastern North America.
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| Strix varia Barton, 1799
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Description
The barred owl grow 43 to 61 centimeters (17 to 21 in) with a wingspan of 102 to 127 centimeters (40 to 50 in) at full length. The average male weigh 630 grams (22 oz) and female weigh 800 grams (28 oz). It has a round head with dark brown eyes while most owls in the eastern United States have yellow eyes. The barred owl lives about 10 to 12 years in the wild.[1]
Habitat
The barred owl lives in the woods across the eastern United States, southern Canada and Alaska. They sometimes migrate to Central America in the winter.[1][2] The great horned owl is the only predator of the barred owl.[1]
Reproduction
The barred owl makes nests on tree limbs and are usually near ponds or lakes. They may use nests that have been left by other animals. They can lay 1 to 5 eggs. Eggs hatch in 28 days and the young begin to fly 42 days later.[1]
Diet
The barred owl eats rabbits, squirrels, bats, snakes, and small insects.[2] They are able to find food from a far distance from its great hearing sense. They can also hunt fish.[1]
Barred Owl Media
Although previously considered a subspecies of barred owl, the fulvous owl is now considered a distinct species.
Some subspecies such as S. v. georgica from Florida differ from northern barred owls by their darker brown streaks and, more noticeably, their bare toes.
The Texas subspecies, S. v. heveola, has mostly bare and relatively sizable toes and distinctly cinnamon-hued plumage.
A barred owl in Ontario
Barred owl in flight, landing on a fence post. Note tail used as air dam and brake.
Barred Owl "winking"
A juvenile barred owl peers out in the verdant forests of Washington, where the species is an "invasive" recent invader.
The barred owl usually makes its home in deciduous forests.
Barred owl bathing in Brett Woods, Fairfield CT US
A barred owl consuming a mole (possibly a coast mole) in Washington.
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References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Corbett, Lori; Denny Rogers (2008). The illustrated owl: Barn, Barred, & Great Horned: the ultimate reference guide for bird lovers, woodcarvers, and artists. The Denny Rogers Visual Reference series (illustrated ed.). Fox Chapel Publishing. pp. 84/5. ISBN 978-1565233133.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Barred Owl". National Geographic Society. 2006. Retrieved 2010-11-27.