Barred Owl

Overview
Barred Owl: Medium, large-headed owl with large, brown eyes, concentric rings around pale face, no ear tufts. Upperparts are brown with white markings. Underparts are white with dark bars on breast and dark streaks on belly. Heavily streaked, spotted, and variegated brown, white, and buff overall.

Range and Habitat
Barred Owl: Widespread in the eastern half of North America; spreading westward in the northern portion of range, already occurring in Washington State, is causing concern that competition and hybridization may impact populations of endangered Spotted Owls. Preferred habitats include deep, moist forests, wooded swamps, and woodlands near waterways.

The Barred Owl is native to Mexico, the United States and Canada. It has also been found in Bermuda as well. The range of the Barred Owl is nearly 6.5 million square kilometers. The population of this bird is more than half a million individual birds. Currently, there are no concerns that the population of this bird faces serious decline. Consequently, the Barred Owl has a rating of Least Concern. This is downgraded from a Lower Risk rating in 2000.

INTERESTING FACTS
The Barred Owl has brown eyes, not yellow as seen in most other owl species. A Sparred Owl is the result of a Barred Owl mating with its smaller cousin, the Spotted Owl. Some have pink belly feathers, perhaps from a diet rich in crayfish. A group of owls has many collective nouns, including a "bazaar", "glaring", "parliament", "stooping", and "wisdom" of owls.