barred

The barred owl (Strix varia), also known as northern barred owl or, more informally, hoot owl, is a 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 brown to gray overall with dark striping on the underside contrasted immediately above that with similarly-dark and tight barring about their throat and nape. 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 are also may be able to acclimate to various gradiants 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 typical for a member of the genera in terms of their nesting habits, tending to raise a relatively small brood often in a tree hollow or snag (but sometimes also in other nesting sites) deep in the woods. By far the most controversial aspect of the barred owls current state is, upon their westward expansion, their encroachment of the range of their cousin, the threatened spotted owl (Strix occidentalis). Evidence shows the assorted threats posed by the invading barred species are only increasing. In turn, biologists have recommended culling operations to mitigate the deleterious effect of the barred on the spotted owl species.

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