Introduction
Names
Common names- Barred Owl (Hoot Owl)
Scientific name - Strix varia
Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Strigiformes
Family: Strigidae
Genus: Strix
Common places
Distributed North Carolina.
Can be seen by driving along 6000 Sample Rd, Huntersville, North Carolina, one can easily observe Barrel owls, especially at night (Alderfer, 2006).
Reason for Choosing barred owls
Owls possess binocular visions just like humans, and I would like to learn whether they process information gathered from the environment as fast as we do.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
I have read about the competition between barrel owls and the Northern spotted owls (Strix occidentalis caurina). It is interesting to observe.
I have also learnt about their furiousness and ability to hunt and feed on cat, puppies, and rabbits. They also attack people despite their small sizes.
In future, I would consider ornithology as a career option, studying with a comprehensive understanding of owls would set the base for me.
Picture
A close-up image of a barred owl ( Strix varia )
Photo credits: Photostock, Carolina Raptor Center, United States (2007) ( Clement, Barrett, & Baldwin, 2019).
Morphology
Description
Color: may be different, from grey to brown, or sometimes white
Size and shape: Mostly large,
Head. Round with a visible absence of ear tufts.
Eyes: Eyes are large and brown
Beak: beak is visibly small, sharp with colours ranging from yellow to yellow-brown.
The Reproduction Process and Life Cycle
Reproduction
Females lay between two and four eggs for each clutch between the start of January and mid-April.
The January laying takes place in Southern North Carolina while the April laying season takes place in the northern parts of Maine. (Audubon, 2019).
Life Cycle
Eggs hatch close to four weeks later following consistent brooding.
Fledging of young hatched barrel owls begin after 4-5 weeks.
Live for up to 24 years when left in the wild, under captivity conditions, they live a few years shorter (Erickson & Bowen, 2011).
Energy Ecology
Habitat
Barred owls settle in preexisting tree cavities acquired by displacing pileated woodpeckers.
Sometimes takes over tree cavities by supplanting red-shouldered hawks, or crows.
Use their aggressiveness and size to displace smaller birds of their habitats (John, White, Franklin, Oshwald, Buchannan, & Olson, 2008).
Barred owls are permanent residents, although they may wonder after the completion of their nesting periods.
Generally non-migratory and might not move from suitable nest conditions. (Kapfer, Gammon, & Groves, 2011).
Potential Predators
The Great Horned Owl ( Bubo virginianus ) is the biggest threat to the reproduction of barred owls as it feeds on its eggs and the young owls (Livezey, (n.d.).
They may sometime kill adult barred owls. (Redwood National and State Park, 2017)
Sources of Food and Feeding
Hunt by night by flying across the woods, or waiting for high patches.
Small ground mammals- mice, moles, shrews, rats, bats, squirrels’ weasels, among others.
Birds-displacement and predation over woodpeckers and young crows, quails, doves and pigeons. Although rare, they may predate over chicken and ducks (Livezey, Elderkin, Cott, Hobbs & Hudson, 2008).
Water reptiles- fish, juvenile turtles, slugs, young salamanders, crayfishes, water snakes, etc.
Insects and worms- beetles, grasshoppers, earthworms, scorpions, snails and slugs, etc. (Kapfer, Gammon, & Groves, 2011).
Conclusions
Barred owls are mostly common in North Carolina
They are large and grey to white in color, with round heads that lack the ear tufts. They also have large and round brown eyes and small sharp yellow beaks.
Barred owls reproduce once each year by laying eggs between Januarys and mid-April depending on location.
They permanently reside in old forests, mainly deciduous and evergreen forests where they have developed several adaptations of nocturnal hunting.
They are predatory carnivores and feed on unlimited species of smaller-sized animals such as rodents and other minute mammals, insects, reptiles, fishes, and sometimes smaller birds.
Scientists are increasingly concerned over the threat that hoot owls pose towards the existence of the northern spotted owls. The main point of concern is that spotted owls might be well on their way to extinction following continuing displacement by barred owls.
References
Alderfer, J. (2006). Complete Birds of North America. Washington, D.C: National Geographic Society.
Audubon. (2019). Barred Owl: Strix varia. Retrieved from National Audubon Society: https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/barred-owl
Clement, M., Barrett, K., & Baldwin, R. (2019). Key habitat features facilitate the presence of Barred Owls in developed landscapes. Avian Conservation and Ecology , 14 (2).
Erickson, L., & Bowen, B. (2011). Twelve owls . Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
John, D., White, G., Franklin, A., Oshwald, M., Buchannan, J., & Olson, G. (2008). Study designs for Barred Owl removal experiments to evaluate potential effects on Northern Spotted Owls. Report prepared for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Yreka, CA. Olympia; WA: Washington: Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Kapfer, J. M., Gammon, D. E., & Groves, J. D. (2011). Carrion-feeding by Barred Owls (Strix varia). The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 123(3), 646-649. doi:10.2307/23033577
Livezey, K. B. (n.d.). Barred Owl Habitat and Prey: A Review and Synthesis of the Literature. Retrieved from https://bioone.org/journals/Journal-of-Raptor-Research/volume-41/issue-3/0892-1016(2007)41[177:BOHAPA]2.0.CO;2/Barred-Owl-Habitat-And-Prey--A-Review-And-Synthesis/10.3356/0892-1016(2007)41[177:BOHAPA]2.0.CO;2.full.
Livezey, K., & Pearson, P. (2003). "Distribution, numbers, and site characteristics of Spotted Owls and Barred Owls in the Cascade Mountains of Washington. Journal of Raptor Research, 37(1), 265–276.
Livezey, K., Elderkin, M., Cott, P., Hobbs, J., & Hudson, J. (2008). Barred owls eating worms and slugs: the advantage in not being picky eaters. Northwestern Naturalist, 185–190. doi:10.1898/NWN08-04.1
Redwood National and State Parks. (2017, November 24). Spotted Owl and Barred Owl. Retrieved from National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/redw/learn/nature/spotted-owl-and-barred-owl.htm
