Barred Owl - Chattahoochee Nature Center

Barred Owl
Scientific Name: Bubo Strix varia
Did You Know?
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A barred owl's right ear is higher than
its left ear. Hearing from two
different angles helps it pinpoint
the location of prey.
Barred owls get their name from
the vertical bars on their
abdomen.
Average life span is
approximately 8 years in the
wild.
The barred owl is considered an
"expanding species."
The Barred Owl is one of our
largest owls, 16 to 23 inches tall
with a 38 to 45 inch wingspan.
The standard call is often
translated as sounding much
like "Who cooks for you? Who
cooks for you all?" The barred
owl makes a host of other
sounds too, including squirrellike barking, monkey-like hoots
and yells, and even bloodcurdling screams!
Amateur naturalist Benjamin
Smith Barton published the first
description of a barred owl in 1799.
In Latin, "varia" is a form of the word
"varius," meaning diverse. It has also
been known as northern barred owl, swamp owl, striped owl, hoot owl,
eight hooter, round-headed owl, Le Chat-huant du Nord (French for "the
hooting cat of the north"), wood owl, and rain owl.
Parents care for the young for at least 4 months, much longer than most
other owls.
The bird feeds mainly on small mammals, but being an opportunist, it also
consumes fish, snakes and frogs.
Chattahoochee NATURE CENTER
Continued on back
General Information On Barred Owls
IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS:
An all-gray owl (although some individuals have a brown wash) streaked with
white horizontal barring on the chest and vertical barring on the belly. It has a
yellow beak and no tufts on the head. Its brown eyes distinguish it from the great
gray owl, found in the Northern coniferous forest.
RANGE:
Found in the United States and southern Canada east of the Rocky Mountains,
although it has been recently expanding its range westward. This is causing
concern, as it may compete with the endangered spotted owl.
HABITAT:
A woodland owl, associated with flood plains, river bottoms, and lake margins.
NESTING:
A cavity-nesting owl that will also nest in old crow or hawk nests or human-made
structures. Barred owls begin nesting in March. They nest in hollow trees, in
abandoned nests of other animals or in nest boxes. The female lays two or three
white eggs, which hatch in 28 to 33 days. The newly hatched young are covered
with fine white down. Young barred owls leave the nest four to five weeks after
hatching.
FEEDING HABITS:
Barred owls feed on a variety of prey, including rodents, squirrels, rabbits, birds,
and crustaceans.
CONSERVATION STATUS:
A very common species with no special status.
About the Chattahoochee Nature Center Barred Owl
One arrived in March 1991 with a broken toe on the left foot, making it incapable of grasping
tightly with that foot. The second arrived in January 1993 with head trauma that destroyed the
left eye. The third was brought here in May 2002 from Camden County, Georgia. A fishhook
was attached to its right wing, preventing it from flying well.
Chattahoochee Nature Center, 770-992-2055 Willeo Road, Roswell, GA 30075,
www.chattnaturecenter.com