Barred Owl (also known as the Hoot Owl, Eight-hooter, or Rain Owl)

A large, stocky owl with a round head and no ear tufts. They have dark brown eyes and a pale face with dark rings around the eyes. Their plumage is a complex pattern of brown and white bars, horizontal on the neck and vertical on the belly.

Base color is a warm grayish-brown with distinct, broad horizontal bars of cream to pale buff; the rachis is dark at the base, transitioning to a lighter tan toward the tip

Pennaceous upper section with a very soft, velvety dorsal surface; presence of fimbriae (comblike fringes) on the leading edge for noise reduction; plumulaceous (downy) base for insulation

Extremely soft and velvety to the touch; matte finish with no iridescence; the micro-structure of the barbs is designed to break up air turbulence for silent flight

Soft, fringed leading edge; broad light and dark horizontal banding; velvety dorsal texture; asymmetrical wing feather architecture

Large blocks of mature deciduous and mixed forests, often near water sources such as swamps, river bottoms, and wooded wetlands

Native to North America; year-round resident from Southern Canada through the Eastern United States, and increasingly across the Pacific Northwest into California

Apex nocturnal predator; controls populations of rodents, amphibians, and small birds; highly responsive to forest health and fragmentation

Great Horned Owl (larger, coarser texture, different banding); Spotted Owl (smaller, spots instead of bars on some feathers); Short-eared Owl (thinner, more pointed)

The Barred Owl is famous for its 'Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?' call. They are also highly territorial and are known to expand their range, sometimes competing with the endangered Spotted Owl.

Good condition; shows slight wear at the tip and some separation of the barbs near the base (hickies), likely naturally molted rather than damaged by a predator

Shelton barred owl