Barred Owl
(Strix varia)
True Owls (Strigidae)

Description:

20" (51 cm) W 44" (1.1 m)
A large, stocky owl, gray-brown with cross-barring on the neck and breast and streaks on the belly; no ear-tufts.

Voice:

A loud, barking hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo-hoooo-aw!; a variety of other barking calls and screams.

Habitat:

Low, wet woods and swamp forest.

Nesting:

2-4 white eggs, in an unlined cavity in a hollow tree or (rarely) an abandoned building; sometimes in an abandoned crow's nest.

Range:

East of the Rockies from central Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and in mountains as far south as Honduras.

This owl is seen only by those who seek it out in its dark retreat, usually a thick grove of trees in lowland forest. There it rests quietly during the day, coming out at night to feed on rodents, birds, frogs, and crayfish. If disturbed, it will fly easily from one grove of trees to another.

Information from:The National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Eastern Region," by Bull & Farrand, Jr.
Other recommended reading on the Barred Owl:When the Barred Owl Calls, by Demetra Mihevic