Last month, Bob was out on a walk after dark, when he started to hear the very recognizable who cooks for you sound of a barred owl coming from near the Oxcart ski trail.
After hearing it a couple of times, Bob thought it would be fun to hoot back. He tried it, and the owl immediately answered. He did it again, and again the owl responded. Then Bob waited a long time, thinking it was all just coincidence and the owl was probably just calling randomly. Silence. A long time passed, then Bob hooted again. The owl responded immediately. They were definitely having a conversation, although Bob has no idea what he promised.
It turns out Quinn has been doing the same thing on his nightly dog walks. For a minute, we wondered if Bob and Quinn were just talking to each other! But we have data that tells us otherwise.
Our Haikubox records bird songs and identifies what birds are nearby. This is a graph of the frequency of recent barred owl calls. Around the time Bob and Quinn were talking to the owls, you can see a lot of activity.
If we step back and look at the long-term view, there’s a clear pattern of barred owl activity picking up around May, so if you come up to Bearskin soon, you may hear them!
Where do barred owls live?
Barred owls are native to the eastern United States, with the boundary of their native range running through Minnesota. These days, they also live in some western regions like California, but they’re considered invasive there.
They prefer densely forested areas and nest in tree cavities, including natural hollow spots and the abandoned nests of other animals, like squirrels. They prefer spots that are at least 20 feet off the ground.
Barred owls don’t migrate, and may spend their whole lives in an area of a few square miles. Their hunting range can overlap with the territories of other barred owls, but they will fight off any that get too close to their nest.
How to identify a barred owl
Barred owls are large owls (especially the females, who are significantly larger than the males on average), measuring from 16 to 25 inches with a wingspan of over 3 feet. They’re named for the pattern of dark brown and white horizontal “bars” across their throats and chests and they have a dark ring around their faces. Unlike most Minnesota owls, which have yellow eyes, Barred owls have dark eyes.
Their call is very recognizable, following the rhythm of Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all? in hoots. If you hear one, whistle or hoot back in the same rhythm and see if you can start a conversation! They do love to chat — for one Virginia study, researchers played recordings of the barred owl call at various study posts. At 80% of the posts, an owl called back.
They do make some other sounds, especially during mating season. You can hear them all here.
When to see or hear a barred owl
Barred owls are primarily nocturnal, but they’re more active during the day than a lot of owl species, so you might get lucky and spot one in daylight. The best times to see or hear them are shortly after sunset or before dawn.
As with many other birds of prey, barred owls are often mobbed by smaller birds if they’re discovered during the day, so you can sometimes find their roosting spot by listening for the sounds of angry songbirds and corvids.
Barred owl lifecycle
Barred Owls hunt from a high perch, where they sit and watch for small rodents or other animals they can swoop down and grab. Their main predators are fellow birds of prey, especially the great horned owl. Climbing animals like pine martens can be a threat to their eggs or chicks.
These owls mate for life, reproducing annually (although they sometimes skip a year here or there) after the age of two. They lay eggs in March and incubate them for 28 to 33 days, so right now our owls up here are either still sitting on the eggs or already taking care of chicks.
The female owl incubates the eggs while the male hunts. During this time, the female doesn’t have the opportunity to catch her own prey, and she can lose up to 30% of her bodyweight. The male also loses weight due to the demand of hunting for the whole family. (Maybe that’s why they’re always asking, “Who cooks for you?”)
The owlets are ready to fly at six weeks old, but they tend to stay close to home for up to six months. If you’re lucky enough to know the location of a barred owl nest, you’re likely to see the juveniles sitting on a branch together even when they’re almost as big as the adults.
We don’t know how far the typical barred owl chick travels to find its own territory, but once it makes its home, it doesn’t usually leave. Barred owls can live for over 20 years, and often stick to the same nesting site for life if possible.
Barred owls at Bearskin
There are barred owls in this area year round, but if you want to have a chat with one, spring is a great time for it. Let us know if you see or hear one!