Santa Claus is not the only thing that comes down a chimney. Some of you may have seen the recent story about the barred owl that came down the chimney of a home in Virginia and proceeded to perch atop the Christmas tree.
Barred owls are a little smaller than great horned owls and lack ear tufts. Robert Stewart in his Breeding Birds of North Dakota noted that barred owls were likely breeding in the state, particularly along the Sheyenne River in Richland and Ransom Counties. More recently, they have been documented in Pembina County. Other owls listed by Stewart include the burrowing owl, great horned owl, short-eared owl, long-eared owl, saw-whet owl, and screech owl.
Although it is unclear if there is any significance to the owl’s visit to the Virginia home, owls are interesting characters in folklore and mythology. They are often associated with death or the underworld. To hear an owl hoot at night, for example, portended death. Owls were also viewed as an evil omen. These beliefs may in part stem from their nocturnal activity and rather eerie calls.
Hearing the call of an owl at night may fill a person with angst. What was that? I suspect that most North Dakotans are familiar with the low-toned hooting call of the great-horned owl. You can click here to listen to the call of a barred owl, and here is the call of a screech owl. Imagine hearing, but not knowing the source, of these calls. It would make one’s hair stand on end!
But owls are also viewed as having great wisdom and knowledge in several cultures. More recently, for example, the owl is a wise character in Winnie the Pooh, and the owl in Bambi is helpful and knowledgeable. And of course, owls are prominent characters in the Harry Potter books and movies where they are known for delivering the mail.
