Kids Korner: Barred Owls

Barred Owls (Strix varia) are native to southeastern North Carolina. These large owls live all along the eastern seaboard and up into parts of Canada. These amazing creatures are in the bird family, meaning that they lay eggs. No wonder these magical owls love to hang out in large trees: the nice branches provide a wonderful place to nest!

When you think of a bird, you probably think of something small like a finch or cardinal. But Barred Owls are anything but little! These amazing birds are larger than crows but smaller than geese. They are still tinier than the largest of North America’s owls— the Great Horned Owl—but bigger than the Barn Owl. In the world of owls, they are a nice medium size.

Barred Owls are very pretty given their large dark eyes, white and brown feathers and striking yellow beak. They eat a variety of foods, and their favorite meal consists of rodents or other small mammals. However, they have been known to eat fish, reptiles and even other birds.

Which of the following animals is a bird?

Bat • Penguin • Flying Squirrel

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Barred Owls are nocturnal, which means that they spend most of their day sleeping in trees. You may occasionally hear them during the daytime, but for the most part you will see them at dawn and dusk. Nocturnal animals are active at night, which is when they hunt for food. For this reason, Barred Owls have evolved to have large eyes that allow them to see well in the dark.

Since Barred Owls spend most of their lives in mature trees, southeastern North Carolina is a nice place for them to live. The region’s mature pine forests and protected natural areas make for great habitats.

Owls can turn their heads 360 degrees (a complete circle).

Barred Owls must have trees in order to survive. These trees must be big enough to protect their young from predators and provide enough cover to allow the owls to hunt their food. Natural spaces are becoming few and far between in cities like Wilmington, so protecting local green spaces is very important to help these owls remain in the southeast.

Barred Owls eat a variety of animals, but their favorite are rodents. When humans put out poison to get rid of rodents like mice, that poison can make the mice more likely to get caught by predators like Barred Owls. On average, a Barred Owl eats about twelve mice every night! The more poisoned mice an owl eats, the more that poison builds up in its body, which can eventually kill the owl. It is important to remind the adults in your life that setting out poisons instead of using natural deterrents for pest animals hurts not only those animals, but also all the animals that eat those creatures.

True or False?— False

Cirlce the Answer— Penguin

Kids Korner is brought to you by Shannon Bradburn Pragosa.