Barred Owl (Northern Barred Owl, Hoot Owl)

The Barred Owl is a large, stocky owl with rounded head, no ear tufts, and deep brown eyes. Known for its distinctive 'Who cooks for you?' call, it is an expert nocturnal predator.

Rich chocolate brown and warm buff background with distinctive horizontal barrings and white or cream-colored spots and tips. The rachis is brownish-white at the base and dark brown along the shaft.

Plumulaceous at the base transitioning into a dense, velvety pennaceous tip. The barbules feature fine, microscopic projections that suppress sound during flight, and the barbs are soft and intact with slight fraying at the edges.

Extremely soft, velvety, and matte in appearance. Lacks the stiffness of diurnal raptor feathers, adapted for absolute silent flight.

Alternating bars of brown and white/buff, velvety soft texture along the edges, and rounded tip characteristic of Strix owls.

Mature dense deciduous and mixed forests, often near swamps, rivers, or wooded wetlands, with a preference for large tree cavities for nesting.

Resident across eastern North America, expanding westward into the Pacific Northwest and parts of Canada.

Apex nocturnal predator regulating small mammal, amphibian, and bird populations.

Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis) and Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus), but distinguished by the specific barring pattern and softer, velvety texture.

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

Good condition with minor wear and slight fraying at the distal barb tips.