Barred Owl

Barred owls and barn owls differences are easy to identify once you know what they are.  Both are common in my backyard. Native to North America, this majestic barred owl lives in my backyard. Their name comes from the bars of brown and white on the bird’s chest.  They have brown eyes whereas most owls have yellow colored eyes. A barred owl’s territory for hunting can span 800 acres. Their diet consists of rabbits, opossum and the occasional frog.

They are nocturnal but you can hear them during the day. Well, you can certainly hear mine during the day. They roost during the day in my oak and black walnut trees. Their lifespan is 10 years in the wild. They are quite massive birds. The talons can carry a small dog. They are 20 inches tall with a wingspan of 2 feet and they weight about 2 lbs. They hoot when communicating. The female tends the nest and the male hunts for food. Their first flight is about 6 weeks.

Barn Owls

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They are found in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and  Australia. The barn owl is on of the most widespread of birds. IT is found on islands and on 6 continents.The females are about 20 inches in length and the males are 15 inches with a wingspan of 43 – 47 inches. They only live 3-4 years and feed on voles, mice bats, skunks and other small birds. Their hearing is so acute that they can hunt voles and shrews deep in the ground. They also have dark eyes. These owls screech as opposed to be a nice melodic singing. They don’t have a normal nest. They will use crevices in trees or they will actually dig a hole in dirt.