Barred Owl

by Brian Coyle

The barred owl derives its name from the segmented white bars on its breast, neck, and belly. While most owls have yellow eyes, the barred owl has dark eyes. This owl has a call most often described as an eight-beat pattern sounding like Who cooks for you. Who cooks for you all.

The typical adult is 18- to 22-inches high with a wingspan of 3-1/2 to 4 feet. The greatest population of barred owls occurs from Texas to Florida and in the Carolinas; however, timber management practices in the Pacific Northwest have facilitated a territorial expansion.

Unfortunately, this expansion is to the detriment of the spotted owl. The spotted owl, whose long-term existence is already in jeopardy, is further challenged by the growing competition for habitat.

The Barred Owl That Fooled us All

by Mollie Mondoux

When this barred owl was admitted to the Center in March, with the bones in one wing broken in three places, everyone agreed that it would be permanently crippled, unable to fly, and couldn’t be released. But this beautiful bird did a thorough job of fooling everyone.

It was found on the side of the road along the Alsea river in western Oregon, probably hit by a car, probably stranded on the ground for a couple of days. Its wing, fractured in several places, was a real mess.

When the bones in a wing are broken, the healing process accelerates as calcium rushes to the site. This causes a build-up of scar tissue and the broken bone fuses, usually in a way that is crippling. X-rays showed that this owl's ulna was broken in two places and the proximal radius was also broken. It looked like there was no way to fix it, but some medical attention would at least help it heal.

Dr. Ken Fletcher, from the Albany Animal Hospital in Albany, Oregon, who generously takes time from his own practice to help the Center with rehabilitation work, performed over three hours of surgery on the owl, installing polypropolene pins through the hollow bone of the ulna. Three hours under anethesia was a long time for the bird, and Dr. Fletcher didn’t get a chance to work on the bird’s broken radius.

This mellow owl seemed a likely candidate for the education program, especially since everyone agreed that it would never be able to fly again. Thanks to Dr. Fletcher’s hard work, the ulna healed. And thanks to the bird’s good luck, the broken radius bones overlapped close together and fused in such a way that it wasn’t crippling. After a few months, the owl was able to fly around in the 30 x 60-foot flight cage and catch live prey. It stayed at the center a while longer so it could complete a molt before going back to the wild. In mid-September, the barred owl went home to its valley on the Alsea river. In this case, to be proven wrong felt very good.