The barred owl (Strix varia), also known as the northern barred owl, striped owl or, more informally, hoot owl or eight-hooter owl, is a North American large species of owl.

Barred Owls are large, stocky owls with rounded heads, no ear tufts, and medium length, rounded tails. Smaller than a Great Horned Owl; larger than a Barn Owl. Barred Owls are mottled brown and white overall, with dark brown, almost black, eyes.

The Barred Owl’s hooting call, “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?” is a classic sound of old forests and treed swamps. But this attractive owl, with soulful brown eyes and brown-and-white-striped plumage, can also pass completely unnoticed as it flies noiselessly through the dense canopy or snoozes on a tree limb.

The rich baritone hooting of the Barred Owl is a characteristic sound in southern swamps, where members of a pair often will call back and forth to each other. Although the bird is mostly active at night, it will also call and even hunt in the daytime.

Feb 12, 2021 · A large owl of the eastern, central, and, increasingly, northwestern United States, the Barred Owl is one of our more common owl species. As with most owls, the Barred is primarily nocturnal, but it is known to call and hunt during the day.

The barn owls (Tyto species, particularly Tyto alba) are the most widely distributed group of owls in the world. They are medium-sized owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful talons. The term may be used to describe:

Barred Owls live year-round in mixed forests of large trees, often near water. They tend to occur in large, unfragmented blocks of mature forest, possibly because old woodlands support a higher diversity of prey and are more likely to have large cavities suitable for nesting.

The Barred Owl is a large, stocky owl with a rounded head and no ear tufts. Its plumage is a mottled brown and white, with distinctive horizontal barring on the chest and vertical streaks on the belly. The facial disc is pale with dark concentric rings around large, dark eyes, and it has a short, hooked yellow bill.

Mar 4, 2025 · The barred owl is an owl species common in eastern North America, the Pacific Northwest and California, southern Mexico, and temperate areas of Canada. The species is largely nonmigratory. Its common name is derived from …

The barred owl is a true owl found in eastern North America. They are often referred to as the northern barred owl or the striped owl but sometimes are called the “hoot owl” in an informal manner.