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Adult |
Juvenile |
The Barred Owl is a medium-sized owl that prefers older growth forests. It frequently produces two to four young in a given season. A Barred Owl's eggs (like those of all North American owls) are white and rather spherical.
Young Barred Owls begin exploring the world outside the nest at about four weeks of age. We can often see the babes peering out from the opening a week or so before any actually appear on a nearby branch. As is true for most North American owls, young hatch two to three days apart. As a result, they also tend to begin branching several days apart and are readily distinguishable from each other by size for several weeks afterwards. Young Barred Owls are very inquisitive birds and thrive when they can explore their environments.The Barred Owl is closely related to the Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis) and tends to be more aggressive than its smaller, spotted cousin. As a result, where populations meet, it is usually the Barred Owl that retains the majority of territories. Both species have dark brown eyes and horn coloured beaks. The Barred Owl has vertical barring on its belly (horizontal on the breast) while its western cousin has horizontal barring (which often appears blotchy or spotted) on its belly and tends to be a darker brown overall. Where populations overlap, these two species will interbreed. Progeny from these matings are known as Sparred Owls.
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Owl |
Vocalizations:
The Barred Owl has a very
distinctive call. Traditionally, the mnemonics for this are "Who
cooks for you" and "Who cooks for you all". These owls
also have a few other typical calls which rise in pitch and volume until
reaching a final "wack-oh!" or "woo-HOO!" The former
of these is a spring vocalization used to help find a mate. Barred Owls
will often vocalize together in courtship season. Juveniles will produce
reaping cries similar to those of many other North American owl species
when hungry.
Vocalizations |
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"Who
Cooks For You". Territorial call produced by both sexes. This
is the traditionally known Barred Owl vocalization. |
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Territorial |
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Listen
for the famous "who cooks for you" call by one
of the two males and the "wacko" call presented
by the other. |
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Territorial |
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This is the typical year round call we hear at The Owl Foundation. | |
Woo
Hoo |
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Cries produced by a nestling Barred Owl moments before being placed in the nest cavity of one of TOF's foster Barred Owl pairs. | |
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Spring vocalization made by both sexes. Males seem to use this call to entice their mates closer for copulation. | |
Female |
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Here the owl repeats a single HOO! every 10-15 seconds. | |
Single
Exclamation |
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This is a subadult Barred Owl male practicing his territorial "Who Cooks for You". Compare this with those calls produced by the adults above. | |
Practicing |
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© 2008 The Owl Foundation
Owl vocalizations recorded by Kara Kristjanson.
Unless otherwise stated, all photographs and sound files are the property of The Owl Foundation.
No images or sounds on this website are to be duplicated in any way without express written permission
from the party to which they belong.
If you are interested in receiving quality versions, please contact The Owl Foundation.