Barred Owl

Strix varia

Year-round in CharlotteUncommon
Barred Owl (Audubon pl. 46) — engraved plate of the Barred Owl
Barred Owl (Audubon pl. 46) · John James Audubon · Public domain

The take

Who cooks for you? — the question echoing through Charlotte's creekside woods at dusk.

How to ID it

  • Mottled brown and white with vertical brown bars on the belly and horizontal bars across the upper breast
  • Large, stocky owl with a rounded head, no ear tufts, and dark, almost black eyes
  • Gives an instantly recognizable 'Who cooks for you?' hooting call, mostly at night

Field marks at a glance

Size
large
Head
mottled brown and white
Call
hooted who-cooks-for-you, who-cooks-for-you-all

Where & when

Year-round in Charlotte — best odds at van landingham glen, latta nature preserve.

Learn more

Sources