December 15, 2020
Species of the month: Barred Owl - Spotted on one of EBC's reserves!
Conservation Status: Special Concern
Identifying Features:
Barred Owls are predominately brown and white in colour presented in a mottled fashion. Their chest has vertical brown lines on top of a white background. The upper half of its body displays horizontal brown bars. The wings and tail are barred brown and white.
They can also easily be recognized by their distinctive call which sounds a lot like "Who cooks for you!?"
Habitat:
Barred Owls can be found nesting in tree cavities of large mature forests. The preferred forests consist of a variety of deciduous and evergreen trees near a water source.
Behaviour:
Barred Owls are nocturnal ‘whoo’ often roost silently at the tops of trees in daytime. Passersby may be lucky enough to hear their call in daylight hours too. At night, they feast on small animals including mice, voles, rabbits, frogs, snakes and chipmunks.
