“What are you seeing?” asks a couple as they walk past me, camera in hand, on Green Heron Trail. “Not much so far,” I reply. While I certainly appreciate all the usual winter critters (red and gray squirrels, chickadees, woodpeckers, cardinals, etc.), I’m hoping I’ll see one of the Arboretum’s more elusive residents.
Not three steps later, my eyes fall on a barred owl, perched in a cedar tree just off the trail.
A barred owl perches in a tree beside Green Heron Trail.
The barred owl is one of 12 Minnesota owl species. (To learn about all 12, visit the Birds of Minnesota page on the MN DNR’s website.) It gets its name from the horizontal and vertical barring on its chest and belly. Unlike most of our owls, which have yellow eyes, barred owls’ eyes are dark brown.
Barred owls are named for the barring pattern on their chests and bellies.
This owl is looking quite sleepy, and in fact during the 30 minutes or so that I observe her (I’m just guessing on the gender, as males and females look alike, with the female just a little larger), her eyes never completely open. She will do most of her hunting after sunset and during the night, and rest during the day. Like most other perching birds, she's able to sleep without falling off her branch thanks to a “perching reflex,” in which specialized leg tendons tighten when she bends her knees, causing her talons to clasp the branch, essentially locking her in place. When she straightens her legs to take flight, her talons will loosen.
Owls’ “perching reflex” allows them to sleep on branches without falling off.
Barred owls have a distinctive “who cooks for you, who cooks for you-all” call, notably different from the great horned owl’s “hoo-h’HOO-hoo-hoo.” Barred owls are sometimes heard calling during the day and may be seen hunting during the day as well. Their diet consists mostly of small mammals, such as mice, squirrels and rabbits. They may also eat birds, reptiles and amphibians. The great horned owl is their most dangerous predator, known to eat the barred owl’s eggs and young and occasionally the adults themselves.
Owls in general can rotate their heads more than 270 degrees in either direction, plus 90 degrees up and down. This trait is especially helpful given they can’t move their eyes in their sockets like we can. This range of motion allows them to search for prey without moving their bodies.
Owls can rotate their heads more than 270 degrees in either direction.
Barred owls don’t migrate and in fact banding studies have shown that they seldom range more than six miles away. Several passers-by comment that they’ve seen or heard a barred owl at the Arboretum before. Almost all thank me for pointing her out, saying they wouldn’t have noticed her otherwise. A good reminder to take in all of your surroundings while at the Arboretum; you never know what fascinating creature might be quietly resting nearby!
Holly Einess is a Minnesota Master Naturalist Volunteer. More information about the program is available on the Minnesota Master Naturalist website.