Barred Owl (Hoot Owl, Striped Owl)

The Barred Owl is a large, stocky owl with rounded head, dark brown eyes, and no ear tufts. Its plumage is a rich tapestry of brown and white horizontal bars on the chest and vertical streaks on the belly. Known for its iconic 'Who cooks for you?' vocalization.

Rich chocolate brown background with distinctive horizontal white or buff barring across the vanes, melanin-based pigmentation, with a pale whitish-tan rachis

Plumulaceous and soft with densely packed, velvety barbules lacking strong hooklets on the edges, providing the silent flight adaptation characteristic of owls; intact condition

Extremely soft, velvety, and matte in texture, lacking any glossy sheen, specifically adapted to muffle sound during flight

Distinctive alternating horizontal brown and white bars, very soft velvety texture without stiff hooklets, and a rounded tip

Mature dense forests, swamps, riverbottoms, and mixed woodlands with large trees for nesting cavities

Resident across eastern North America, expanding into the Pacific Northwest and parts of Canada, year-round

Apex nocturnal predator playing a vital role in controlling small mammal, amphibian, and insect populations in forest ecosystems

Great Horned Owl feathers, which are typically larger, stiffer, and feature more mottled or zigzag patterns rather than clean horizontal bars

Barred Owls have expanded their range westward over the last century, eventually meeting and hybridizing with the threatened Spotted Owl in the Pacific Northwest

Good condition, showing minor wear at the edges but overall intact barbs and a strong rachis