A friend of mine recently mentioned that a flock of crows were raising a ruckus outside his home in north Fargo. When the crows are in a tizzy, it often means they have found an owl to harass. Sure enough, when he went to check it out, the object of the mobbing was a barred owl.
Crows make it abundantly clear that owls are not to be tolerated. And they will mob other potential predators as well, including hawks, eagles, and cats. Mobbing is a behavior used to drive a predator away, protect young, maybe steal some food, or perhaps to sound the alarm to other birds and animals that a predator is in the area.
Barred owls are a species of the forest and wooded areas, often near water where they feed on mice, voles, small birds, and such. Range maps often show that barred owls are permanent residents over much of southern Canada, and in the U.S. east of a line from Minnesota southward, plus portions of the pacific northwest and California. So, the Red River Valley is on the edge of their range.
Robert Stewart, in his "Breeding Birds of North Dakota" from 1975, noted that there were no records of nests or dependent young in North Dakota, but they were likely nesting in the state, particularly along the Sheyenne River in Richland and Ransom County.
A quick check of eBird revealed a recent sighting of a barred owl in Fargo’s Oak Grove area. Most sightings in the state were in the Red River Valley, particularly in the Fargo and Grand Forks areas. Barred owls are cavity nesters and they are known to maintain their territories year around. As such, there is good chance they are nesting in the areas.
Barred owls are a little smaller than great horned owl. Their common name is a reference to the light and dark baring of the feathers, particularly on the throat and upper chest. There are also stripes on the lower parts of the body. Two other characteristics that help in identification are that barred owls lack “ear tufts” or “horns” of, for example great horned owls, and have dark eyes rather than yellow eyes like many other owls.
Most everyone is familiar with the low toned “hoo-hoo-hoo” call of the great horned owl. The call of the barred owl is a little higher pitched “who-cooks-for-you.”
You can find links to more information on this interesting bird, including recordings of their calls, below.
Further Information
- Barred Owl (Cornell University Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds)
- Barred Owl (eBird)
- Video: Barred Owls are Easy to Find (YouTube/Bob Duchesne)
