Birds
Barred Owl
Strix varia · also called barred owls
Deep in a Pacific Northwest forest, a barred owl calls out its familiar who-cooks-for-you, a bird whose own successful westward expansion has become one of the more difficult conservation problems facing the threatened spotted owl it now shares this same forest with.
Overview
The barred owl, Strix varia, is a widespread forest owl native to eastern North America, with a range that has expanded significantly into the Pacific Northwest in recent decades. Its distinctive call and dark brown eyes make it easily recognisable, while its competitive impact on the threatened northern spotted owl has made it a genuinely significant figure in modern conservation policy.
A success story that became someone else’s crisis
Few birds illustrate the complicated nature of conservation as clearly as the barred owl, whose own thriving expansion into new territory has directly worsened the prospects of a threatened relative already struggling to hold on.
Status
Least Concern, actively expanding — its range growth into the Pacific Northwest has become a serious conservation concern for the threatened northern spotted owl.
Barred Owl: common questions
Why is the barred owl's expansion into the Pacific Northwest controversial?
The barred owl has expanded significantly westward into the Pacific Northwest in recent decades, bringing it into direct contact with habitat historically occupied by the threatened northern spotted owl, and where the two species now overlap, the barred owl competes for the same resources, sometimes hybridises with the spotted owl, and has contributed to significant further declines in spotted owl populations, prompting active conservation debate and, in some areas, barred owl management programmes.
What does the barred owl's call sound like?
A barred owl produces a distinctive call often rendered by birders as who-cooks-for-you, who-cooks-for-you-all, one of the more recognisable and memorable owl calls in North America, useful for identifying the species even when it cannot be seen directly.
What colour are a barred owl's eyes?
The barred owl has dark brown eyes, an unusual feature among owl species, most of which have yellow or orange eyes instead, making eye colour one of the more distinctive features separating the barred owl from several similar-looking owl relatives.
Where does the barred owl live?
The barred owl is native to forest habitat across a broad range of eastern North America, generally favouring mature forest near water, and its range has expanded significantly in recent decades to include much of the Pacific Northwest as well.