Wonders of Wildlife: Barred Owl

Barred Owl

Other Common Names: swamp owl, hoot owl, rain owl

Scientific Name: Strix varia

Found in Alabama: Year-round, Statewide

Diet: Carnivore (eats animals)

Barred Owl in Habitat
flickr – Ralph Daily

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Classification

IDENTIFICATION

Adaptations

Life Cycle

Habitat Needs

Ecological Role

CLASSIFICATION

Scientists use basic traits to
group animals into different taxonomic
classes.

For a taxonomic classification chart comparing key traits of common backyard wildlife,
CLICK HERE!

What type of animal am I?

I am a vertebrate (an animal with a spine or backbone).
I am warm-blooded, so I can control my body temperature.
I have feathers on the outside of my body that keep me warm.
I breathe with lungs just like you.
I have 2 legs.
I have wings.

The Barred Owl is a BIRD!

IDENTIFICATION TIPS

Size:

The barred owl is one of the larger species of owl in Alabama.
Range in length from 20 – 24 inches
weigh between 17 – 37 ounces
Wingspan is 40 – 50 inches
Females are slightly larger than males

Key Characteristics:

Body is large and stocky
Head is large, round, and has no ear tufts
Large, dark brown eyes are surrounded by grayish facial discs
Mostly brownish-gray with a creamy colored breast and belly
Upper breast has horizontal brown bars
Underparts have vertical brown bars
Wings and tail have brown and white bars
Short tail and short, rounded wings

Young:

Young look similar to adults.
Markings appear slightly more pale than markings on adults.

Barred Owl
flickr – Shenandoah National Park

PHYSICAL AND BEHAVIORAL ADAPTATIONS

PHYSICAL ADAPTATIONS

Barred Owls can see at night:

Barred owls do most of their hunting at night.
They have large eyes that are fixed in place. This means they cannot look to the left or right without moving their heads like we can.
These large eyes allow more light to enter, providing them with better vision at night.
To compensate for not being able to move their eyes within their sockets, owls have additional vertebrae (backbones) in their necks compared to humans, allowing them to be able to turn their heads 270 degrees. This means that if they started facing forward, they could turn their head toward their left shoulder, look behind them, and continue until they were looking to the right.

Barred Owls are effective hunters:

Barred owls are sit-and-wait predators.
They remain on a perch until they identify prey (animals they eat) using their keen sense of sight or heightened sense of hearing.
Owls have softened edges on their feathers, giving them near silent flight. This allows them to sneak up on their prey.
They use their strong talons (sharp claws) to grab small live prey items from the air or from shallow water.
Barred owls often live near streams or wetlands and are known to grab fish from the water or wade into shallow water to hunt for crayfish.
Food that is not eaten right away is sometimes cached (stored) in tree cavities.
Owls swallow their food whole, so the portions of prey that cannot be digested such as bone, fur, and hair are coughed back up as a pellet.

Barred Owl Taking Flight
flickr – Matthew Paulson

Barred Owls are good climbers:

Owls have zygodactyl feet, meaning they have two toes that face forward and two toes that face backward. Birds with zygodactyl feet are excellent climbers.
When young birds fledge (leave) from the nest, they will often hop from branch to branch and use climbing as one of their main modes of movement before they are able to fly.
When they climb, they use their feet, beaks, and wing flapping to assist them upwards.
Adult owls also use climbing when necessary.
Owls are also able to pivot one of their toes so that they have three toes facing forward and one toe facing the back which helps when perching or sitting on a branch.

Birds can fly:

Birds have feathers on their wings rather than hair like humans. Feathers are light, waterproof, and are adjustable for flight control.
Birds have lightweight beaks instead of heavy jaws and teeth like humans.
Most bones in their bodies are hollow or honeycombed, making them very lightweight. Some of their bones are fused for increased efficiency and lighter weight.
Birds have a larger and more efficient respiratory system than humans do since flight is a physically-demanding activity.

Birds can digest whole prey:

Birds do not have teeth and are not able to chew food. Because of this, they have a specialized part of their stomach, called a gizzard, that helps with digestion by grinding food.
The small stones, sand, and grit that birds pick up while they are eating are stored in the gizzard.
Once food is swallowed and makes its way to the gizzard, it is pulverized by the grit and stomach muscles.
Some birds like chickens, ducks, and turkeys have thick, muscular gizzards. Other birds that eat food items that are easy to digest, such as nectar and soft-bodied insects, have thin-walled gizzards.

BEHAVIORAL ADAPTATIONS

Barred Owls are nocturnal:

They are active during the night (nocturnal).
Although they do most of their hunting and activity at night, they are more active during the day than other species of owl.

Barred Owls communicate with one another:

A Barred Owl’s call is one of its most distinct features and is one of the easier ways to identify if one is nearby.
It is described as a “who cooks for you, who cooks for you all” hoot.
They use this call to communicate with other barred owls or when they are disturbed.
A breeding pair of barred owls can often be heard calling back and forth, even during the daytime.

LIFE CYCLE

Life Cycle Stages of the Barred Owl

Nest:

Barred owls are cavity nesters.
They nest in old woodpecker holes or hollowed out tree snags.
Prefer to nest in cavities that are 20-40 feet high.
Cavities are usually 10-13 inches wide and at least 14-21 inches deep.

Eggs:

Females lay 1-5 (average 2-3) hard-shelled eggs each breeding season.
Eggs are white in color.
They are slightly oval shaped and reach around 2.2 inches long and 1.8 inches wide.
The female will incubate the eggs for around 30 days.

Young:

Eggs are inclubated for 28 to 33 days and do not hatch at the same time.
The female will stay in the nest with the young for 6 to 13 days.
When they hatch, they are covered in soft, white feathers called down feathers.
They begin to grow in their first set of feathers after around 2 to 3 weeks.

Life Span:

They can live up to 9 years.

Baby Barred Owls
Wikimedia – William H. Majoros

HABITAT NEEDS

Natural Habitat Needs	Adults	Young
Food	Barred owls are carnivores (eat animals) Feed mainly on small mammals, including rodents. They will also feed on mice, squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, smaller owls, crayfish, amphibians, lizards, snakes, and smaller birds.	Parents provide the young with the same food sources that they eat as adults. If food items are too large for young, they are torn into smaller pieces. While female incubates the eggs and broods the young, the male brings food to her.
Water	Receive the majority of the hydration they need from their food sources. They will occasionally drink from a freshwater source.	Young receive necessary hydration from food items while still in the nest. Once they have fledged (left the nest), they will occasionally drink from freshwater sources.
Shelter	Live in deep woodlands, bottomland tracts, swampy areas, forests near open habitats, or forests near a source of freshwater. Prefer large mature deciduous forests.	Young remain in the natural cavity nest until they are old enough move around on their own, usually between 28 and 35 days.
Places to Raise Young	Nest in cavities in old tree snags or abandoned woodpecker holes. If a cavity is unavailable, they will use platform nests abandoned by hawks, crows, or squirrels. Barred owls may modify change these nests by adding lichens or evergreen needles.

If you want to offer resources in your backyard habitat for this species, consider the suggestions below.

Backyard Habitat Needs	Adults	Young
Food	Do not remove any plants that provide protection for small mammals such as squirrels or rabbits. Do not remove brushy areas that might provide nesting sites for smaller birds. Do not spray pesticides that might harm insect populations.	Parents provide the young with food sources until they are independent and can hunt on their own.
Water	Provide a source of freshwater such as a pond or a bird bath.	Young receive necessary hydration from food items while still in the nest. Once they have fledged, or left the nest, they will drink from freshwater sources such as a pond or bird bath.
Shelter	Do not remove tree snags (standing, dead trees) and trees with natural cavities. Put up a nest box prior to breeding season.
Places to Raise Young	Put up an owl nest box with a guard to protect the young from predators. Do not remove tree snags (standing, dead trees).

ECOLOGICAL ROLE

Food Source:

Adult barred owls do not have many predators (animals that eat them) in Alabama, as they are one of the top predators in their habitat.
However, great horned owls will feed on adult barred owls if they are in the same area.
Hawks, other owls, raccoons, and weasels will feed on the eggs.

Insect and rodent population control:

Barred owls play an important role in coltroling the populations of small rodents.
This is beneficial to humans, as some of these smaller rodents can damage crops and can carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans.

INFORMATION SOURCES FOR THIS SPECIES

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