The eastern sky began to lighten, the stars to fade, dawn quickly chasing the night away. It was time to hoot like an owl — a barred owl to be exact — hoping to make a big Tom turkey gobble.
Taking a deep breath I cupped my hands and hooted into the darkness; “Hoo, hoo, ho, ho-hool…. hoo, hoo, ho-hool-aw,” adding a little tremolo at the end. In cadence and sound their hoots resemble someone calling: “Who cooks for you, who cooks for you?”
Barred owls and turkeys seem to enjoy harassing one another as dawn streaks the sky. Although it’s impossible to predict whether the turkey will respond to a brash owl or not. Turkeys, after all, are a law unto themselves.
No turkey gobbled back this morning but, in a matter of minutes, three barred owls were answering me and drawing constantly closer. Two landed in a nearby hemlock tree and really got fired up. Their next series of calls sounded exactly as if they came from a wet and steamy tropical jungle. The separate syllables were sharp, accented and rising in crescendo: “Hool, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah! Hool, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!” The racket sounded more like a monkey than a bird. The owls were holding nothing back, their wild chorus making us laugh in appreciation. Hilarious!
Barred owls are numerous and certainly not shy on the vocal side! Later that day, I discovered a young barred owl just learning to fly who had tumbled onto the forest floor and surprise, surprise, actually had my camera with me! Miracles never do cease.
Barreds are very common in our area and every valley has at least one pair of them it seems. Adults are 16 to 25-inches in height, have a wingspan of 38 to 49” and weigh about 1.1 to 2.3 pounds. They are round headed, without ears and have brown eyes. Barreds are the only owl in Pennsylvania with brown eyes — all other species having yellow ones. In color they appear a mottled brown and gray. In flight their wings appear black and white, loosely resembling a turkey’s in coloration.
They are found across the eastern United States and Canada and as far south as Mexico. They are rapidly spreading to the northwestern United States as well and, being more aggressive, are serious predators of the western spotted owl, the cannibals! You will never hear the anti-timbering lobby tell you that! However, it appears barred owls could become a considerable threat to spotted populations in the future. Occasionally, the two species interbreed creating what are known as, yes, you guessed it, bottedowls. Barred owls are also spreading further into the southwestern parts of our nation.
Why, you may ask, are these owls spreading so far and successfully? A quick glance at their diet may give you a clue. This diet includes, but is not limited to voles, mice, screws, moles, rats, squirrels, chipmunks, weasels, bats, rabbits, mink, opossums, cats, small birds of all types, grouse, small turkeys, quail, jays, doves, pigeons, ducks and all other smaller owls. Barreds have also been seen to actually wade into streams and lakes to catch crabs, frogs, crawfish and small turtles. Don’t forget snakes, salamanders, lizards, slugs, scorpions, beetles, crickets and grasshoppers, as well. A favorite hunting technique is prowling the woods at dusk, nabbing birds as they prepare to roost. As you can see, this opportunistic hunter figures if he can catch it, he will eat it — relative or not! Perhaps, “Nothing is safe” is an accurate assessment of these deadly winged predators’ diets.
Barred owls are also extremely flexible in their nesting habits. Most birds are very specific in nest size, shape and location. These owls are not. Barreds have a fondness for hollow trees and cavities created by pileated woodpeckers, old squirrel nests, abandoned crow, red-tailed, broad winged or cooper hawk nests. Pretty much any apartment for rent is taken and they may actually build their own nest if forced to. Though barreds do require some large growth trees for their nests, studies have shown they spread faster in suburban settings than forested. One explanation for this may be the larger rodent population present around housing. Such adaptability in nesting and diet allows these owls to thrive in almost any type of environment.
Barred owls generally lay 2-4 eggs per clutch. The eggs hatch in about four weeks and the owls are fledged in four to five more. Great horned owls are the only serious natural predator of Barred Owls, speeding cars being the other. Cats, foxes, bobcats and fishers take a few owls immediately after leaving the nest, before they become proficient at flying.
Barred owls hunt, waiting motionless in tall trees or flying silently through their habitat. Dusk and dawn are favorite hunting times and barreds are frequently seen during the daylight, especially on darker, rainy days. Like moths, these owls are often attracted to lights where they feed on the insect life.
As I mentioned, barred owls are very vocal and with a little practice can be imitated by humans. A few hoots early and late in the day will generally be answered and the owls more often than not will fly in very close to you for a look at this newcomer to their territory.
Barred owls are deadly predators, but a fun, talkative bird to have in our forests.
