If you’ve heard the baritone hooting of an owl that might translate to human speech as “who cooks for you – who cooks for you all,” it’s probably a Barred Owl. These brown-eyed beauties are highly vocal and will even call during the daytime.
Mike Blevins
However, you will never hear them fly even though they have a 40” wingspan. Not only do they move slowly through the air despite their size, their wing feathers silence the usual swooshing sound of birds in flight.
Mike Blevins
Resting on branches and in cavities by day, they mainly hunt at sunset and through the night. They perch on an elevated limb. Watch. And, listen. Some have been known to wade into areas of shallow water to catch fish and freshwater crustaceans, like crawdads.
The Barred Owl does not migrate and may only move a few miles from home throughout their lives.
Bird Bits
Fun Facts: Eleven-thousand-year-old fossils of Barred Owls have been discovered in Tennessee, Florida and Ontario. The oldest living individual known was banded in North Carolina and later recorded at 26 years, 7 months old.
Habitat: dense woodlands with sporadic clearings particularly near water
Conservation Note: Loss of swamp habitats is challenging the Barred Owls once quite prevalent in the south. In the past century, its range has expanded to the Pacific Northwest.
ABOUT THIS SERIES
“Birds of the Blue Ridge” showcases frequently seen and rare birds across the southern Appalachian region. For over three decades, Angela Minor has traveled with binoculars and field guides across the continental U.S., Alaska, the Caribbean, and seven European countries. She is a travel and nature freelance writer for several regional and national print magazines, and also created and authored the state park birding series for Bird Watcher’s Digest.
Read More by Angela Minor: BlueRidgeCountry.com/AngelaMinor