Barred owl: Difference between revisions
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The '''Barred Owl''' (''Strix varia'') is a large [[typical owl]] native to North America. It goes by many other names, including '''Eight Hooter''', '''Rain Owl''', '''Wood Owl''', and '''Striped Owl''', but is probably best known as the '''Hoot Owl''' based on its call. |
The '''Barred Owl''' (''Strix varia'') is a large [[typical owl]] native to North America. It goes by many other names, including '''Eight Hooter''', '''Rain Owl''', '''Wood Owl''', and '''Striped Owl''', but is probably best known as the '''Hoot Owl''' based on its call. It is known for eating the feces of other animals |
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==Description== |
==Description== |
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Revision as of 13:27, 24 April 2012
| Barred Owl | |
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| Species: | S. varia
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| Binomial name | |
| Strix varia Barton, 1799
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Syrnium varium | |
The Barred Owl (Strix varia) is a large typical owl native to North America. It goes by many other names, including Eight Hooter, Rain Owl, Wood Owl, and Striped Owl, but is probably best known as the Hoot Owl based on its call. It is known for eating the feces of other animals
Description
The adult is 40–63 cm (16–25 in) long with a 96–125 cm (38–49 in) wingspan. Weight in this species is 500 to 1050 grams (1.1-2.3 lbs).[2] It has a pale face with dark rings around the eyes, a yellow beak and brown eyes. It is the only typical owl of the eastern United States which has brown eyes; all others have yellow eyes. The head is round and lacks ear tufts, a distinction from the Short-eared Owl. The upper parts are mottled gray-brown. The underparts are light with markings; the chest is barred horizontally while the belly is streaked vertically. The legs and feet are covered in feathers up to the talons.[3]
Distribution and habitat
Breeding habitats are dense woods across Canada, the eastern United States, and south to Mexico;[1] in recent years it has spread to the western United States. Recent studies show suburban neighborhoods can be ideal habitat for barred owls. Using transmitters, scientists found that populations increased faster in the suburban settings than in old growth forest. The main danger to owls in suburban settings is from cars. The increased offspring offset the death rate due to impacts from cars and disease.[4]
Barred Owls and the Northern Spotted Owl
Barred Owls may be partly responsible for the recent decline of the Northern Spotted Owl, native to Washington, Oregon, and California. Since the 1960s, Barred Owls have been expanding their range westward from the eastern US, perhaps because man-made changes have created new suitable habitat in the west.[5] When Spotted Owls and Barred Owls share the same environment, the latter are generally more aggressive and out-compete the former, leading to decreased populations of the native owls.[6] They have also been known to interbreed, with the hybrids named "Sparred Owl" or "Botted Owl".[citation needed]
On 5 April 2007, White House officials announced a proposal from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that shooting Barred Owls would aid in effects caused on the Spotted Owl.[7] The proposal called for 18 sites to be constructed in Spotted Owl territory, where 12–32 owls could be shot at each site.[7] Environmentalists fear that increasing blame in Barred Owls as population-decreasing proponents in Spotted Owls will mean less attention will be paid to territorial protection, and logging will be resumed in protected Spotted Owl areas.[7]
Behavior
Reproduction
The Barred Owl's nest is often in a tree cavity, often ones created by pileated woodpeckers; it may also take over an old nesting site made previously by a red-shouldered hawk, cooper's hawk, crow, or squirrel.[8] It is a permanent resident, but may wander after the nesting season. If a nest site has proved suitable in the past they will often reuse it as the birds are non-migratory. In the United States, eggs are laid from early-January in southern Florida to mid-April in northern Maine, and consist of 2 to 4 eggs per clutch. Eggs are brooded by the female with hatching taking place approximately 4 weeks later. Young owls fledge four to five weeks after hatching.[9] These owls have few predators, but young, unwary owls may be taken by cats. The most significant predator of Barred Owls is the Great Horned Owl.[10] The Barred Owl has been known to live up to 10 years in the wild and 23 years in captivity.[2]
Food and feeding
The Barred Owl is a very opportunistic predator. The principal prey of this owl are meadow voles, followed by mice and shrews of various species. Other mammals preyed upon include rats, squirrels, rabbits, bats, moles, opossums, mink, and weasels. Birds are taken occasionally and commonly include woodpeckers, grouse, quails, jays, icterids, doves and pigeons, and even domestic ducks. Less commonly, other raptors are predated, including smaller owls.[10] Avian prey are typically taken as they settle into nocturnal roosts, because these owls are not generally nimble enough to catch birds on the wing. It occasionally wades into water to capture fish, turtles, frogs and crayfish.[3][11][12] Additional prey include snakes, lizards, salamanders, slugs, scorpions, beetles, crickets, and grasshoppers. Barred Owls have been known to be attracted to campfires and lights where they forage for large insects. Prey is usually devoured on the spot. Larger prey is carried to a feeding perch and torn apart before eating.
The Barred Owl hunts by waiting on a high perch at night, or flying through the woods and swooping down on prey. A Barred Owl can sometimes be seen hunting before dark. This typically occurs during the nesting season or on dark and cloudy days. Of the North American owls, only the Burrowing Owl is more likely to be active during the day. Daytime activity is often most prevalent when Barred Owls are raising chicks.[3][12] However, this species still generally hunts near dawn or dusk.
Vocalization
The usual call is a series of eight accented hoots ending in oo-aw, with a downward pitch at the end. The most common mnemonic device for remembering the call is "Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all." It is noisy in most seasons. When agitated, this species will make a buzzy, rasping hiss. While calls are most common at night, the birds do call during the day as well.[13]
In art
John James Audubon illustrated the Barred Owl in Birds of America (published, London 1827-38) as Plate 46 where it is shown threatening a Grey Squirrel. The image was engraved and colored by Robert Havell's, London workshops. The original aquatint by Audubon is owned by the Brooklyn Museum. [14]
References
- ^ a b * Template:IUCN2009.1 Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern.
- ^ a b http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Strix&species=varia
- ^ a b c Terres, J. K. (1980). The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds. New York, NY: Knopf. p. 665. ISBN 0-394-46651-9.
- ^ Owls Get Wise to Better Life in Cities, Jeanna Bryner, LiveScience Staff Writer, 2007
- ^ Barred Owl Displaces Northern Spotted Owl at Olympic, Scott Gremel, Natural Resources Year in Review, National Park System.
- ^ Using Ecological-Niche Modeling to Predict Barred Owl Invasions with Implications for Spotted Owl Conservation, A. Townsend Peterson and C. Richard Robins, Conservation Biology, pages 1161-1165, Volume 17, No. 4, August 2003
- ^ a b c Durbin, Kathy. "White House Proposes Killing Spotted Owl Rival, Owls at Odds." The Columbian. 27 April 2007. NCCSP.org
- ^ Sattler, Helen Roney (1995). The Book of North American Owls. Clarion Books. p. 41. ISBN 0-395-60524-5.
- ^ Barred Owl Factsheet, Lee and Rose Warner Nature Center, 2008
- ^ a b http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/barred_owl.htm
- ^ Barred Owl, Owling
- ^ a b Habitat Suitability Index Models:Barred Owl, US Fish and Wildlife Service
- ^ Alderfer, Jonathan (2006). National Geographic: Complete Birds of North America. Washington D.C.: National Geographic Society. pp. 330–331.
- ^ "Brooklyn Museum". Collections: American Art: Barred Owl.
External links
- Barred Owl - Strix varia - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Barred Owl Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Barred Owl Information and Photos - South Dakota Birds and Birding
- Eleanor the Urban Barred Owl Rogue Valley, Oregon, historic neighborhood loves its resident Barred Owl
- Mystique of the Hoot Owl
- Short Video of a Barred Owl in North Carolina - Stellar Media Video
- A Series of short Barred Owl videos from Florida - OwlWatch.org
- Barred Owl Bird Sound