Minnesota Seasons - Northern Barred Owl


Conservation Status	IUCN Red List	LC - Least Concern
	NatureServe	N5 - Secure SNR - Unranked
Occurrence	Common
Habitat	Mature deciduous and mixed forests near water source; wooded swamps.
Size	17″ to 24″

			Photo by Tom Baker

Identification	This is a common, medium-sized, typical owl that is easily identified by its call. It is not migratory. If suitable prey is present it is a year-round resident. In the wild they live about 10 years. In captivity they have been known to live up to 23 years. Adults are 17″ to 24″ long, weigh 17 oz. to 37 oz., and have a 38″ to 50″ wingspan. Females are larger than males. The head is round. There are no ear tufts. The facial disk is whitish-brown with a prominent, dark brown outer ring and 4 or 5 fainter, narrower, vaguely-defined, brown rings around each eye. The beak is yellow and is mostly covered by feathers. The eyes are dark brown. Feathers on the wings, back, and back of head are dark grayish-brown with buffy-white subterminal bars and edges. The tail is long and dark brown with 6 or 7 well-defined, pale brown bars. Feathers on the neck, chest, and belly are buffy-white with dark brown streaking. The neck and upper chest are horizontally streaked, the lower chest and belly are vertically streaked. There is a sharp break where the horizontal streaking meets the vertical streaking. Male and female plumage is identical.

Voice	An eight hoot call that sounds like “Who cooks for you, who cooks for you-all.”

Similar Species	This is the only owl in Minnesota with dark brown eyes. All other owls in the state have yellow eyes. Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa) is a much larger bird, up to 33″ long. The eyes are yellow. The rings of the facial disk are more well-defined. The “chin” has a solid black patch. The neck and upper chest do not have horizontal barring. Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) has prominent, tall ear tufts and yellow eyes. Northern Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula) has yellow eyes. The neck, chest, and belly have fine, horizontal barring. Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) has small ear tufts and yellow eyes. The neck and upper chest do not have horizontal barring.

Food	Mostly small mammals, including mice, voles, shrews, chipmunks, squirrels, and rabbits; also amphibians, reptiles, smaller birds, fish, crayfish, and invertebrates.

Nesting	The Barred Owl is monogamous and mates for life. It nests in a cavity of an old deciduous tree, often one created by a Pileated Woodpecker, or in an abandoned nest of a squirrel, Red-shouldered Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, or American Crow. Breeding season is from March to August. The female lays usually 2 or 3, but as few as 1 or as many as 5 white, spotless, almost perfectly round eggs. The eggs hatch in 28 to 33 days. The young leave the nest in 35 to 40 days but remain dependent on their parents for food up to 4 more months.

Migration

Comments	Taxonomy There are three subspecies of Barred Owl in North America north of Mexico, and another species in Mexico. The most widespread species, and the only one found in Minnesota, is the Northern Barred Owl (Strix varia varia).

Taxonomy	Order:	Strigiformes (owls)
	Family:	Strigidae (typical owls)


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	Barred Owl, Strix Varia Gregory G. Martz

	About Uploaded on Nov 2, 2009 Barred Owl, Hoot Owl, Wood Owl, Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Strigidae Genus: Strix Species: S. varia Strix varia, Symium varium Hanging out at Gigsplace, looking for mice,HD canon camcorder

	Barred Owl (Strix varia) tomb0171

	About Uploaded on Mar 16, 2010 Barred Owl (Strix varia) * Family: Strigidae, * Genus: Strix, * Species: S. varia, * Type: Bird, * Diet: Carnivore, * Average lifespan in the wild: 10-13 years, * Size: 44 cm long with a 112 cm wingspan, * Weight: 1-1.5 lbs. (females slightly larger than males), * Common Names: hoot owl, rain owl, round-headed owl, swamp owl, wood owl, * Habitat: Barred owls prefer mature forests and heavily wooded swamps. They roost in densely forested areas, and hunt over farmland, open country, roadsides and rivers. They are often associated with red-shouldered hawks. * Video: by "Eleanor Kee Wellman" ** The Barred Owl is a medium-sized gray-brown owl that is streaked with white horizontal barring on the chest and vertical barring on the belly. They are round-headed with a whitish-brown facial disk that has brown trim. There are no feather tufts. The eyes are brown, and the beak is yellow and almost covered by feathers. The dark brown back is spotted with white and the long tail is crossed with six or seven sharply defined bands of pale brown. There is no difference in plumage between the males and the larger females. More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barred_Owl or http://www.carolinaraptorcenter.org/barred_owl.php or http://www.oregonzoo.org/Cards/BirdsOfPrey/barredowl.htm

	Barred Owl ( Strix varia ) in snowfall... 2/10/2013...HD pefawa

	About Published on Feb 10, 2013 This chunky owl has dark eyes, dark barring on it's upper breast, and dark streaking below. It is chiefly nocturnal and its daytime roost is usually well hidden. Easily flushed, it does not generally tolerate close approach. It's call is a distinctive rhythmic series of loud hoots..."who-cooks-for-you, who-cooks-for-you all" also a drawn out "hoo-ah,"sometimes preceded by an ascending agitated barking. Much more likely than other owls to be heard in the daytime. Often a chorus of two or more owls will call back and forth.