HOOT OWLS

      Great horned owls and barred owls, together, can be called "hoot owls" because of their loud hooting that thrill some people, including me, and frighten others.  Both these owl species live in woods across much of North America.  And we can identify each kind, even at night, by listening to the rhythm of their boisterous hooting.

     Great horned owls' most frequent calling is a deep " hoo-hoo-hoo, hooooo-hooooo " while that of barred owls seems to say "who cooks for you-who cooks for you-alllll".  Both species have other, less frequently heard, vocalizations as well.  Some of those calls can make a person's hair "stand on end".

     Though different species, these handsome owls have characteristics in common.  Both are about two feet long and have camouflaged feathering to avoid the harassments of crows and other birds when trying to rest in trees during the day.  Both kinds of owls mostly hunt prey at night.  They have soft feathers to help them hunt silently, large pupils to see well at night, excellent hearing and sharp, curved talons for seizing prey.  Horned owls have two upright feather tufts on their heads, which barred owls don't have.  

     Though these owl species both hunt prey in woods at night, their competition for food is fairly minimal because each kind occupies a different woodland niche, though there is some overlap.  Horned owls live in more upland woods, particularly near fields where rodent and rabbit prey is abundant.  Barred owls dwell in wooded bottomlands where frogs, snakes, small birds, large insects and other, smaller, prey prevails.   

     Both these adaptable owl species have adjusted well to living in older suburban areas with their many tall, older trees.  There people can have the pleasure of hearing the wild hooting of these owls right at home. 

     Horned owls court in December, when the hooting between pairs of these large owls is prevalent at dawn and dusk.  In January, they either build a new cradle of sticks and twigs in tree tops, or remodel older ones that were used before.  Each female lays one to three eggs in her nursery by early February and the young hatch in early March.  The father of each brood hunts day and night to feed himself, his mate on her nest and their offspring in their nursery.  The owlets fledge by mid-April and are on their own by late may, just when young prey animals are numerous and vulnerable to predation.  

     Barred owls court early in spring, when their hooting is commonplace.  Each pair raises two owlets per brood in tree cavities large enough to accomodate all those owls.  These owls nest in swamps and along creeks and rivers.  And their offspring are on their own by June. 

     Great horned owls and barred owls are common and widespread species that are of interest to many people.  And they are adaptable, living in many older suburban areas in North America, where people can hear them hooting, and sometimes spot them perched high among the trees.                

          


     

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