Barred Owls can be seen throughout southwest Florida, particularly around swampy or wooded areas.
Habitat:
- Woodlands
- Swamps
- Thick Woods
Diet:
- Small mammals
- Mice
- Rodents
- Squirrels
- Rabbits
- Opossums
- Birds
- Frogs
- Salamanders
- Snakes
- Lizards
- Insects
- Crayfish
- Crab
- Fish
Appearance:
- Large, stocky build
- Round heads
- No ear tuffs
- Rounded tail
- Mottled brown with white
- Dark brown almost blackish eyes
Barred owls are most active at night, as with most owl species. They typically watch from a perch to seek prey. Barred owls have a very distinctive baritone hoot- which is frequently heard in the swamps and areas surrounding southwest Florida. Pairs will use this hoot to speak to each other through the woods.
Pairs will court by bobbing heads together and raising their wings, and the male may feed the female in the process. When nesting, there are usually 2-3 eggs which are incubated by the female while the male hunts to bring back food. Young-lings are ready to take their first flight by 6 weeks.
If you are interested in drawing a pair to your backyard, follow the link to learn how and to find a way to make your own nesting box: https://nestwatch.org/learn/all-about-birdhouses/birds/barred-owl/#_ga=2.136114098.2044967442.1508355850-1106644438.1508355850
To see an indepth introspective to Box to Branch of Barred Owls from Cornell Lab Bird Projects watch:
To hear a variety of Barred Owl calls visit: http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/barred-owl
Shanna Weber