Barred Owl

 
Scientific name:  Strix varia
Family Name:  Strigidae

Are they endangered?  They are not endangered worldwide.  (IUCN Red List least concern)

What are their past/present problems?  To keep Barred Owls in the area, there must be forests and open fields.  The Barred Owl likes older trees so, if the trees aren’t protected, the owl has no place to live.
What do they look like?  They have black eyes and a yellow beak. The back of the bird is dark brown with white spots. The belly is white with streaks of brown.
How big are they?  Barred Owls are between 17 and 24 inches long.  If their wings were stretched out—like in flying—they would be about 50-60 inches wide.

How many eggs do they lay?  Females lay 2-3 white eggs once a year.  The eggs hatch in a month. 

How long do the fledglings stay in the nest?  These birds, like many birds of prey, like to use nests that other birds don’t use anymore.  The young birds (owlets) stay in the nest for 6 weeks.
When do they hunt?  They hunt at night and at twilight.  They hunt during the day sometimes, too.

What do they eat?  They like lizards, small mammals like MICE, snakes, frogs, big insects, and crabs.
Where do they live?  Barred Owls live in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

What kind of place do they like to live in?  They like river areas, woods, swampy areas, and forests where there are pine trees.
Interesting facts:

These birds scare easily and fly away right away when other creatures come close to them.

If their prey is in the water, they will walk in to get it.
These birds don’t migrate.

Of all the owls there are only a few that have dark eyes.  This owl is one of the ones that have dark eyes.

Works Cited:

Alderfer, Jonathan.  Complete Birds of North America.  Washington, D.C.:  National Geographic, 2006.

Alsop, Fred.  Birds of North America.  New York:  DK Publishing, 2001.

Barred owl.  4 Oct. 2007.  <http://www.peregrinefund.org/Explore_Raptors/owls/barrdowl.html>.