Barred Owl (Strix varia) Brenda S. Keith
Holland, Ottawa Co., MI. 10/30/2008 © Judi Manning
(Click to view a comparison of Atlas I to II)
This medium-sized owl with liquid dark eyes is Preferred habitat for the Barred Owl consists of mature woods with numerous old trees and large best known for its vocalizations. The typical cavities for nesting. A study of nest sites of the call is described as “who-cooks-for-you, who- Barred Owl in northern Michigan showed large cooks-for-you-all.” During the breeding season beech trees seem to be favored but cavities in of mid-to-late winter, loud raucous caterwauling maples and dead snags are also utilized duets take place. Barred Owls are widespread (Postupalsky et al. 1997). east of the Great Plains from southern Canada to south Florida and the Gulf Coast. They also Breeding Biology occur in a band across central Canada to Courtship behavior begins in mid-winter with southeastern Alaska, and into the Pacific egg dates ranging from mid-March in the Northwest. A disjunct population is also found southern parts of Michigan to early May in the in southern Mexico (Mazur and James 2000). more northern regions. Typically one brood of
two to three eggs is laid with an incubation Distribution period of 21 to 28 days. Young fledge between Bent (1938) states that “The Barred Owl is our mid-May to early July with some observations most common large owl east of the Prairie in the southwest LP and surrounding states as States.” They were considered abundant during early as mid-April. Young owls remain near Michigan’s post-settlement time but dropped to their parents for several months, begging for common due to deforestation and shooting food with their strange squeaky, hissing calls. practices (Brewer 1991). This was especially true in the southern L.P. By the late 1950’s the Abundance and Population Trends Barred Owl was considered uncommon in the During MBBA II, there was a slight increase in southern counties (Zimmerman and Van Tyne the percentage of townships where Barred Owls 1959) as land clearing continued for agriculture. were encountered compared to MBBA I. The As in MBBA I, during MBBA II, Barred Owls number confirmed in the UP and the NLP was were found statewide with most territories substantially lower during MBBA II, while the detected in the UP and NLP, however the numbers listed as Probable were nearly the current Atlas shows that the population in the same. The number confirmed in the SLP southwestern LP has grown.
© 2011 Kalamazoo Nature Center Barred Owl (Strix varia) Brenda S. Keith increased over that of MBBA I with the majority of confirmations coming from the western SLP. This may be attributed to the maturation of wood lots. While Barred Owls are nocturnal and nest early, it is often difficult to confirm nesting. Since this species is very vocal and tends to stay on territory, it is likely that blocks with Probable and Possible records are also nesting sites. Increases in central and northern Canada are in part attributed to the initiation of the Ontario Nocturnal Owl Survey (Allair 2007).
BBS trends for the Midwest (USFWS Region 3) and Michigan show a slight but steady increase since 1983. The Partners in Flight population estimate for Michigan was 5,000 individuals but it also states there was poor coverage for this species (PIF 2007).
Conservation Needs Across USFWS Region 3, Barred Owl numbers have been on the increase in recent years (Sauer et al. 2008). The species is not on any watch lists for Michigan but forest management practices should still be considered. Snags and an adequate number of large live trees (> 50 cm d.b.h.) that contain or are likely to develop suitable cavities should be preserved. It is particularly important to maintain conifers in forests otherwise dominated by deciduous trees. This species will also use nest boxes if placed in suitable locations that provide cover for safety and open areas for hunting (Postupalsky et al. 1997).
Barred Owls pose no negative effects on humans and are beneficial for keeping crop damaging rodents under control (Quimby 2000).
© 2011 Kalamazoo Nature Center Barred Owl (Strix varia) Brenda S. Keith
Literature Cited .ummz.edu/site/accounts, information/ Strix_varia.html> Allair, J. 2007. Barred Owl. In Cadman, M.D., Sauer, J.R., J.E. Hines, and J. Fallon. 2008. D.A. Sutherland, G.G. Beck, D. Lepage, and The North American Breeding Bird Survey, A.R. Couturier, eds. 2007. Atlas of the Results and Analysis 1966-2007. Version Breeding Birds of Ontario, 2001-2005. Bird 5.15.2008. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Studies Canada, Environment Canada, Research Center. Laurel, MD. Ontario Field Ornithologists, Ontario Zimmerman, D.A., and J. Van Tyne. 1959. A Ministry of Natural Resources and Ontario Distributional Checklist of the Birds of Nature. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Michigan. Ann Arbor, University of Bent, A.C. 1938.Life histories of North Michigan Museum of Zoology Occasional American birds of prey (part 2). U.S. Paper No. 608. National Museum Bulletin No. 170. Brewer, R., G.A. McPeek, and R. J. Adams, Jr., Suggested Citation eds. 1991. The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Michigan. Michigan State University Press, Keith, B.S. 2011. Barred Owl (Strix varia). In East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Chartier, A.T., J.J. Baldy, and J.M. Ebbers, B.C. 1991. Barred Owl. In Brewer, R., Brenneman (eds.). 2010-2011. The Second G.A. McPeek, and R. J. Adams, Jr., eds. Michigan Breeding Bird Atlas. Kalamazoo 1991. The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Nature Center. Kalamazoo, MI. Accessed Michigan. Michigan State University Press, online at: © 2011 Kalamazoo Nature Center