BARRED
OWL
#BDL-400
Notecards
Also available in Notecard Assortment Packs #AST-401
, #AST-402 & #AST-403
#LE-BDL-400 Limited Edition Print
“Who
cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?” If you hear a loud
call that sounds like that late at night, especially in a wooded
swamp or a forest, you’re near a barred owl. And if you’re
fortunate enough to spot this owl in the moonlight, you’ll
see its big head twist and bob throughout each refrain.
When
the barred owl is not asking about your dinner, it’s usually
searching for its own meal. The barred owl will eat just about
any small animal it can handle with its relatively weak talons
- mice, squirrels, rabbits, crayfish, frogs and birds, notably
screech owls. When this sharp-eyed predator finishes hunting as
dawn approaches, the red-shoulder hawks that share the habitat
take over.
The
barred owl also may use the same nests as these hawks, with nest
sites often alternating between the two species on succeeding
years. Sometimes the barred owl takes over nests vacated by crows
or squirrels. Or it will settle for a tree hollow. Clearly, this
owl will go to great lengths to avoid building its own nest for
its two or three owlets.
The
17- to 24-inch barred owl is usually gray-brown with white horizontal
barring on the chest and vertical barring on the belly. Like the
barn owl, it has brown eyes, distinguishing it from other owls,
which have yellow eyes.
Normally
found from southern Canada to Honduras, the barred owl is one
of the most commonly seen east of the Rocky Mountains. Lately
it has been expanding its range westward, causing concern that
it may compete with the endangered spotted owl.
Text © 1997 Terry White, Drawing ©
1997 Bill Harrah
.
. . BIRDS OF PREY . . . (Click on an image to
see the actual notecard size)