Barred Owl

     The barred owl is a large bird of the deep woods. It has a rounded head, no horns and brown eyes (it and the barn owl are the only brown-eyed Pennsylvania owls; all others have yellow eyes). The barred owl ranges over the eastern United States, its distribution often coinciding with that of the red-shouldered hawk.

     A barred owl weighs up to two pounds, with a 44-inch wingspan and body length up to 20 inches. It has gray-brown plumage with white spots on the back; whitish or grayish underparts are barred with buff or deep brown, the barring crosswise on the breast and lengthwise on the belly.

     The barred owl is the most vocal of our owls. Its hoots are more emphatic then those of the great horned owl’s, but not as deep or booming. The barred owl’s call is eight accented hoots, in two groups of four hoots:hoohoo-hoohoo…hoo-hoo-hoohooaw (described as "Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all?). It usually calls early in the night, at dusk, and occasionally on cloudy days.

     Barred owls almost always nest in hollow trees, laying 2-4 eggs that hatch in 28-33 days. Pairs may show strong attachment to same nest area, returning year after year.

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