Barred owls (Strix varia) are medium-sized owls native to North America. They get their name from the horizontal brown and white barring pattern on their underparts. Barred owls have large, round heads with no ear tufts and dark brown eyes. Their wings are broad and rounded and their tails are fairly long.
Barred Owl Calls
Barred owls are very vocal birds and have a distinctive call that has been described as sounding like “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?” The most common call is a series of eight to nine hoots ending in oo-aw. This hooting call is often described as sounding like “Who cooks for you?” or “Who-who-who-who-who-who-who?”
Barred owls have a wide repertoire of vocalizations they use to communicate, including cackles, gurgles, caws, ascending hoots, hoots, and screeches. Males and females make the same types of calls, though the pitch may be slightly lower in the males.
Immature Barred Owl Sounds
Immature barred owls under one year of age make higher pitched and more nasal sounding hoots than adult birds. Their hoots also have a more uneven rhythm compared to the evenly-spaced mature call of adults.
Instead of the typical “Who cooks for you?” barred owl call, immatures give a higher pitched “Whoo?”. The notes sound more like “oo-OO-oo-EE-aw”. This call is weaker and scratchier sounding than an adult call.
Immature barred owls may also give a pleading “hee-hee-hee” sound. This call is thought to function as a contact call to locate parents and beg for food.
Development of Adult Call
As barred owls mature, their calls slowly change to sound more like an adult over their first year. The small owlets hatch in late winter or early spring. At first, newly hatched owlets only make squeaks, cheeps, and hisses.
By late spring, the nestlings start making gurgling and clicking sounds. As they grow, immature owls add more hoots and their calls lengthen. By mid to late summer, a young barred owl’s call will sound closer to an adult version but still higher pitched and less consistent in rhythm.
It takes nearly a full year for a barred owl’s vocalizations to completely mature into the even-paced and lower pitched adult version of their species-specific call.
Description of Immature Barred Owl Call Sounds
Here are more details on the sounds and characteristics that distinguish an immature barred owl’s vocalizations from the mature hoots of adult birds:
Higher Pitched
The calls of young barred owls less than one year old are notably higher in pitch than adult birds. While the hoots of adults have a low, resonant baritone quality, the hoots of immature owls sound higher pitched and squeakier.
Uneven Rhythm and Spacing
Instead of the evenly-spaced, metronomic quality of an adult call, young barred owls produce irregularly spaced hoots with an uneven rhythm. There are inconsistent pauses between the individual notes in their call sequences.
More Nasal Quality
The hoots of immature barred owls have a more nasal tone than the mature calls. The sound is often described as whiny or raspy instead of full and sonorous like an adult.
Weaker and Scratchier
While adult barred owl calls are strong and smooth, the calls of young birds sound feeble and scratchy. They lack the power and resonance of mature vocalizations.
Begging Calls
Immatures frequently make begging calls like a pleading “hee-hee-hee” or drawn out screeching. These types of vocalizations are not typical of adult owls.
When Do Barred Owls Reach Maturity?
Barred owls are considered mature breeding adults in their second year after hatching. Here is a timeline of maturity milestones:
0-4 Weeks
Barred owl chicks hatch after an incubation period of about 4 weeks. Newly hatched chicks weigh only around 1 to 2 ounces. Their eyes are closed and they are covered in white downy feathers at this stage.
4-8 Weeks
The owlets open their eyes at around 4 weeks old. They are still unable to stand at this point. By 8 weeks, nestlings develop darker juvenile plumage and begin standing, flapping wings, and tearing food into pieces.
2-4 Months
From 2 to 4 months of age, the young owls make early attempts at flight while still close to the nest tree. They also start making immature begging and contact calls to parents.
4-8 Months
At around 4 to 5 months old, juvenile barred owls can make short flights away from the nest area. They learn to hunt on their own but still return to the nest frequently to beg for food from the parents. Their vocalizations start sounding more like adult calls but remain higher pitched.
8-12 Months
By 8 months old, the independent juvenile owls have dispersed from their parents’ territory but are still not sexually mature. From 8 to 12 months they roam and develop survival skills while their vocalizations continue to mature.
12-24 Months
Most barred owls breed for the first time in their second year after hatching, at around 12 to 24 months old. Nesting first occurs at one year old for some individuals but more often in the second year. Their calls are fully mature at this stage.
So while barred owls reach physical maturity at 1 year old, they are not considered full adults until age 2 when they attain sexual maturity and their vocalizations are complete.
How to Identify an Immature Barred Owl by Sound
Here are some tips for identifying a barred owl as an immature bird based on its vocalizations:
Listen for Higher Pitched Hoots
The higher pitch and squeakier quality of an immature barred owl’s call compared to the lower, fuller sounding adult hoots is a key identification clue.
Pay Attention to Uneven Rhythm
The irregularly spaced notes and inconsistent rhythm of a young barred owl’s call sequence indicates an immature bird. An adult call has evenly timed spacing between hoots.
Note Any Nasal or Raspy Quality
The nasal tone reminiscent of a whiny human cry or cat meow can betray the call as coming from an immature owl not yet vocally mature. Also listen for any scratchiness or harshness to the notes.
Be Alert for Begging Calls
Begging calls like extended screeching or a pleading “hee-hee-hee” sound are typical of immature barred owls but never made by adults.
Double-check with Spotting
To confirm identification, attempt to spot and visually observe the owl making the calls. Immatures may still show some downy feathers or other juvenile traits around 8-12 months old when their calls start resembing adults.
| Immature Call Characteristics | Mature Adult Call Characteristics |
|---|---|
| Higher pitched hoots | Lower pitched hoots |
| Uneven rhythm and spacing | Metronomic, evenly spaced rhythm |
| Nasal and raspy quality | Smooth and resonant quality |
| Begging screeches | No begging calls |
Conclusion
In summary, immature barred owls less than one year old can be identified by their higher pitched, uneven hoots with a nasal quality compared to the evenly-spaced, lower pitched calls of adult birds. Distinctive begging calls are also indicative of young owls not fully matured. With practice listening to and observing owls of known age, the differences become clear. Identifying subtle variations in barred owl vocalizations helps observers gain insights into the development and behavior of these widespread North American raptors.
