Barred Owl ~

Barred owls were historically found throughout the eastern United States and Canada, however, during the 20th century, they began to expand further west. They are mottled brown and white with dark brown eyes. Their underside is mostly marked with vertical brown bars on white, while their upper breast is crossed with horizontal brown bars. Their wings and tail are barred brown and white. The female barred owls are usually larger in size. Their diet consists of small mammals like squirrels, chipmunks, mice, small birds, amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates. At the Good Zoo our barred owl’s diet includes bird-of-prey ground meat and mice. Barred owls hunt at dusk and nighttime and are territorial, using various calls to defend their territory.

The barred owl is often used as an indicator for managing old forests since they prefer large, dead trees for their nest sites. Unfortunately, barred owls are frequent victims of vehicle collisions. Our resident barred owl, Choctaw, came to the Good Zoo as a raptor rehab patient after being entangled in barbed wire causing his last digit on his left wing to be amputated. His injury made him non-releasable, so you may now see him on his habitat within the barn.