COMMON NAMES: Hoot Owl, Swamp Owl

RANGE: Eastern half of the United States from southeastern Canada to northern Georgia; western Canada south to Oregon and Idaho

HABITAT: Prefer mature oak woods, stands of mixed hardwoods and conifers and swamps with lack of underbrush, thick dense woods

SIZE: LENGTH: 16-24 inches
WINGSPAN: 38-50 inches
WEIGHT: 1-2.3 pounds

LIFE EXPECTANCY:
WILD: more than 10 years
CAPTIVITY: up to 23 years

DIET:
WILD: Wide variety of small mammals, especially rodents; wide variety of reptiles, including frogs, lizards, snakes, and salamanders. Will take insects, birds up to the size of flickers, Screech Owls, and Long-eared Owls. Will also wade knee deep in water to catch fish with their feet.
CAPTIVITY: Mice and chicks

BEHAVIOR: Barred owls are mostly sedentary birds. They form permanent pair bonds and have permanent territories that are defended throughout the year. Courtship begins in winter, and will begin centering more on nest site. During courtship they take part in courtship feeding and mutual preening. The male gives a wide variety of calls while pursuing female, and then he will perch near her, raising first one wing, then other, then both together. They are extremely vocal and inquisitive.

REPRODUCTION: Barred owls will use nest sites year after year and prefer natural tree cavities or old hawk, crow or squirrels nests. They have a relatively long breeding season with re-nesting common after loss of eggs or brood. They lay 2-3 eggs, rarely 4, and incubation begins when the first egg is laid, so the chicks hatch on different days. The female does all of the incubating, which takes 28-33 days. The young open their eyes at about 7 days and are heavily brooded until 3 weeks of age. They become branchers at 4-5 weeks and fledge at about 6 weeks. They may continue to receive food from parents until 16 weeks of age.

POINTS OF INTEREST: Barred Owls are the nocturnal counterpart of Red-shouldered Hawk. They prefer the same habitat and often nest near each other with no apparent conflict. Eggs of both birds have been found in same nest, but it is rare for both clutches to survive the arrangement.

Vocalizations: Known as the "True Hoot Owl", the Barred Owl makes more different kinds of calls than any other owl in North America. The most common call sounds like "Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you alllll?" and can be used to call in the owls. Others sound like whistling, baying hounds, barking dogs, humans screaming in agony, cackling, yells, and maniacal laughter; many simply defy description. Often many of the owls will begin calling in a pattern that resembles humans singing a round. This phenomenon is most often heard preceding thunderstorms. Adult male Wild Turkey will gobble in response to the hoot of a Barred Owl as a warning for it not to attack its young. Turkey hunters use this to their advantage by using Barred Owl calls to make Wild Turkey call, giving away their location.

Beak: Unlike other raptors whose primary tools are their feet and talons, the Barred Owl has its power more evenly distributed between its talons and beak. Their hooked beak is incredibly strong, capable of cracking the shell on a turtle, while their feet are not as strong as other raptors’.

Eyes: Barred Owls have the excellent night vision associated with all of the owls, but it is not thought to be as keen as the Barn Owl’s. During the day the Barred has very good vision as well, and it is often seen hunting on overcast (and sometimes not so overcast) days, especially when raising young. On a sunny day the owl can reportedly see birds flying overhead that the human eye, aided by binoculars, cannot. They are one of the few North American species of owl with dark eyes.

Ears: The hearing of the Barred Owl is especially acute, due to the asymmetry of its ears. Their right ear is larger and higher on their head than the left ear, and this allows the owl to pinpoint the location of a sound by comparing how much more quickly the sound reaches one ear than the other (triangulation). Many scientists now believe that Barred Owls use their vision primarily for navigation and locate their prey by sound alone. This is a great advantage because it permits them to hunt during the darkest part of the night when their primary predator, the Great Horned Owl, is less likely to be abroad.

Interbreeding: In areas where the territories of the Barred Owl overlap with the Spotted Owl’s, hybrids of the two species have begun appearing. Rehabbers are often at a loss when they receive the hybrid chicks, unsure of which species of owl to place the young with for fostering.

STATUS: Barred Owls have declined somewhat in the eastern and southeastern parts of their range in the U.S. due to their dependence on old growth trees for nest sites. They began expanding into the Pacific Northwest during the 1960's, and they have begun displacing Spotted Owls in some areas.

IN ADDITION: This information applies to all owls, but is usually included in the Barred Owl portion of a program. Barred Owls have a very visible nictitating membrane, and it appears as a blue film sliding over the eye from a distance. It is actually a third eyelid that moves diagonally across the eye from the upper corner. The eyelid is a translucent, protective covering that the owls use when flying through thick woods and feeding young to prevent sticks or overly eager young from scratching the eye.

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