Owl Eyes On You

The barred owl (Strix varia), also known as the northern barred owl, striped owl or, more informally, hoot owl, is a North American large species of owl. A member of the true owl family, Strigidae, they belong to the genus Strix, which is also the origin of the family's name under Linnaean taxonomy. Barred owls are largely native to eastern North America, but have expanded their range to the west coast of North America where they are considered invasive.
Mature forests are their preferred habitat, but they can also acclimate to various gradients of open woodlands. Their diet consists mainly of small mammals, but this species is an opportunistic predator and is known to prey upon other small vertebrates such as birds, reptiles, and amphibians, as well as a variety of invertebrates.
Barred owls are brown to gray overall, with dark striping on the underside. Its eyes are of a blackish-brown color, this being the only true owl of the eastern United States which has brown eyes; all others have yellow eyes. The eyes may appear intensely black in the field and, although large, are fairly closely set.
The barred owl is a large species. The adult measures anywhere from 16 to 25 in in length while the wingspan may range from 38 to 49 in.
The weight range for adult males is 1 to 1.8 lb. The considerably larger female can be up to 2.5 lb.

Barred owls have typical nesting habits for a true owl, tending to raise a relatively small brood often in a tree hollow or snag (but sometimes also in other nesting sites) in forested areas.

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