Striking barred owls stick around during the winter

Image courtesy of Jeffrey L. Stone

The barred owl is the most common in local neighborhoods. We have been lucky to have two to five young owls haunting the canopy in our yard this summer. Their hissing sound for young juveniles to their hooting (that sounds like "who cooks for you?") of the adults announce their hunting forays.

They are named for the vertical bars on their abdomen and horizontal bars on their chest.

The barred owl does not usually migrate. They can be enticed by a commercial owl box but often nest in the hollow of trees. They feed on mammals such as rats, shrews and voles, but will also consume other birds, reptiles, amphibians, crustaceans, and even fish and earthworms.

No other owls look like them. Their greatest predator is the great horned owl. They are easier identify by hearing their call around dusk and early evening rather than spotting their well-camouflaged bodies.

Brandt Carter is a local bird enthusiast as well as a puppy trainer for Canine Companions therapy dogs. She and her husband own Backyard Birds, 2374 E. 54th St., Indianapolis 46220. Brandt's column appears in The Broad Ripple Gazette. To subscribe, visit https://www.broadripplegazette.com/