Birds of Prey-Barred Owls

“Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?” This is how birders describe the hoot of the barred owl (Strix varia). It can also be described as hoohooho-ho, hoohooho-hoooooaw, ending on a rolling note. Listen for yourself to the distinctive hoot by clicking http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barred_Owl/id and going to the Sound tab. Sometimes the barred owl hoot can be confused for the sound of a barking dog in the distance.

Barred Owl Perched in Juniper Tree

Along with a mating pair of red-shouldered hawks as described in the post dated July 25, 2010; Dogwood Ranch is also home to a mating pair of barred owls. We heard these owls calling across the woods to each other several years before we saw one we could affirmatively identify. As described in the post about the red-shoulder hawk nest, we believe the first time we saw a barred owl on Dogwood Ranch was when a large bird swooped down under the trees at dusk to clutch its prey and fly away.

Those that question whether two different bird of prey species, red-shouldered hawk and barred owl, can share the same territory ask a very good question. Usually, neither species tolerates other birds of prey in their square mile or so territory. An exception is that the red-shouldered hawk and the barred owl which do not consider each other competitors for the same food source because they hunt at different times of day. The hawk hunts during the day and the barred owl at night, so they stay out of each other’s way.

We love the sound of the barred owls’ hoot. For some reason it is very comforting to hear them calling out from the woods in the night. In the fall and winter months, we usually hear them start calling about 5:30 or 6:00 p.m. When we hear one hoot, we stop what we are doing and wait for the other to reply-hoot within a few seconds and sometimes from clear across with woods from the other. They may trade calls for two or three rounds in early evening before twilight. We figure they are just checking in with each other before they set out for the night’s hunt. These calls tend to stop in the spring once the owls have a nest with eggs so that they do not give away the sight of the nest to other predators. Sometimes late at night or in the early morning hours before sunrise, we hear the owls call to each other again, perhaps checking-in when they return from the night’s hunt.

The barred owl is a medium-sized gray-brown owl with white horizontal barring on the chest and vertical barring on the belly. They are round-headed with a whitish/brown facial disk with dark brown trim. They have brown eyes and a yellow beak that is nearly covered by feathers. The plumage of males and females are the same, although the female is larger than the male. The birds are typically 16-25 inches long with a wingspan of 38 – 50 inches. They weigh between 17.5 and 37 oz. Barred owls live about 10 years in the wild. They prefer deep moist forests, wooded swamps, and woodlands near waterways. The characteristic habitat contains heavy mature woods with nearby open country for foraging. The area should include densely foliated trees for daytime roosts, conifers or deciduous trees with year-round leaves for winter roosts, and the presence of large trees with suitable cavities for nesting. Like for the red-shouldered hawk, Dogwood naturally meets these habitat requirements for the barred owl.

Barred owls typically conceal themselves in the dense leaves in treetops during the day. On Dogwood Ranch, they tend to frequent tall juniper or “Texas cedar” trees with thick evergreen foliage. Although cedar will be the subject of a future post, habitat for the barred owl is one of the few redeeming qualities of the otherwise invasive, water-hog and unwanted “trash” cedar trees in Texas. We also see the barred owls fly from treetop to treetop when we are hiking deep into the wooded areas where they tend to nest.

The literature about barred owls often refers to their aggressive nature towards humans near the owls' nest. We have not experienced any aggressive behavior from these birds. Of course, their nest has usually been back in the woods rather than near our main living, work and recreation area. However, several times just before dusk, one of the owls has made an appearance near our evening sitting area. We have a cedar post in the ground near the barn where we mounted the rain gage that sends an electronic signal to the rain monitor indoors. The gage is a plastic cylinder about 6 inches tall with a four-inch circumference. A mesh cupped shaped screen designed to keep leaves and other material from clogging the rain-measuring device sits inside the gage. When we would arrive at Dogwood Ranch for a weekend, we often noticed the screen lying on the ground next to the cedar post. We were astounded that the wind could blow so hard as to blow the screen out of the gage so often.

One evening about dusk, while sitting outside enjoying a cocktail, in the dim light we saw a large dark bird land right on top of the rain gage. It was one of the barred owls. It looked around unperturbed by our presence. We even managed to get the camera out of the car and snap a few shots (with a flash!) while it sat calmly posing for the camera. After it flew away into the trees, sure enough, the mesh screen was on ground next to the cedar post! The culprit dislodging the screen was not the wind but the owl, which apparently frequented this perch and pulled the screen out with its talons. The Critter Cam (subject of a later post) has also shot photos of Junior (a juvenile red-shouldered hawk) perching on the rain gage during the day.

Barred Owl Perched on Rain Gage

The barred owl's diet is similar to the red-shouldered hawk. The owls are semi-nocturnal to nocturnal hunters and prefer to eat small mammals, especially rodents. That's good for mice control in our main living, working and recretation space. This owl is also an opportunistic hunter who will take whatever is available, including small birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians or insects. They often sit on a perch, like a rain gage on a cedar post, and wait to hear or see prey, then they swoop down from above to grab its dinner.

In the cooler months, after dark we like to sit out by the tank (cow pond) in the warm glow of a campfire contained in a metal fire ring. On a moonless night the edge of the woods is pitch black. On occasion, we will hear a horrible screeching cry from the woods that will go on for 30 seconds or so and we know a barred owl has just caught itself a nice big dinner of squirrel, opossum or rabbit. Although it is just part of nature and the normal food chain in the woods, it is a little un-nerving to hear the prey’s last screeches of life rolling out of the pitch black woods.

Barred Owl Chicks

In 2007, we discovered the owls’ nest. Barred owls build their nests in dead deciduous tree cavities or trunks. We discovered such a tree trunk cavity back in the woods in the area from where we often hear owls hoot during non-nesting season and where we see them fly from treetop to treetop when we are on the trail back in the woods. Looking across the creek bed to a cavity in the top of a broken-off tree trunk, we noticed several pairs of big eyes looking back at us. The eyes belonged to two barred owl chicks. We returned the next week with proper camera equipment and shot some nice photos of the chicks, which look a bit like little old men!

For more information about barred owls or other birds, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds website is an excellent authoritative resource which includes photos, video and sounds clips of birds. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1189