Well, you made this super easy by giving me a location. Spotted Owls are West Coast owls from Canada through Mexico, so you’ve got a fine Barred Owl there.
But let’s say we didn’t have a location. How would we figure this out? Let’s take a look at our 2 suspects side by side:
Now our friend the Barred Owl is given his name for that beautiful vertical barring on its belly. You can’t see that at all though in your pic, and even in the first example it’s kinda scrunched up and not super identifiable. Second pic it’s very obvious though. But that wouldn’t help you here, so what else do we see?
Look at those sweet faces. Both are adorable, but one owl has a pale face and one has a dark face. Spotted Owls have a darker base coloring, so they’ll have a dark facial disc compared to the Barred. Now of course we have coloration in various degrees, but even when I try to find a darker faced Barred and a lighter faced Spotted, it takes a little longer glance, but I think you’d still have a good shot at getting it right if you gave it a solid look. Even here the Barred “eyebrows” don’t stand out as much because the face is still much closer in base color to the white brows.
Now let’s look at the back plumage , which your photo also nicely shows. We’ll zoom in to our previous photo for a better look.
Again, whitish base for Barred lets those white stripes shine. Brown base for Spotted makes them more off white, and the back is, much like the front, more spotted than striped.
So all signs point to your guest being a Barred Owl!
The 2 get mistaken frequently, and with the hybrids it blurs the lines even more. That is one of the main concerns about the project to shoot the Barred Owls and hybrids to protect the Spotted. With Spotted Owls being so reduced in number already, killing just one by accident can be a huge loss.
So you did not get a visit from a rare owl, but it’s still superb! I’m so glad you shared it and we got to learn a lot!
Anon, you are simply incredible!!! Thank you! I’ll pass all this info on to my sister and tell her to try to get more pics. (And I’ll be down there for a few days soon, so maybe I can do some owl stalking)
She said she’s been hearing it around for a few weeks, so maybe it moved in close. I asked her to download the Merlin app and try to get a recording of its calls for me.
I don’t know which way you go from MA to WV, but in North Jersey, you may want to visit The Raptor Trust if it’s on your way. That’s the first place I went specifically to see owls, and I plan on going back soon. I believe it’s free.
Oh hey, this is great! I’m actually returning to MA via the coast route because I want to stop by some friends and family on Baltimore on my way back. I’ll be in the perfect position to check that out. I’ll post pics if I do go.
The irony of those mountains. The one in NJ is actually easier for me to get to as I pass by than the one in WV is to get to from my sister’s house. That doesn’t surprise me actually lol
Lol makes sense! I didnt look up all the state parks they were going to be in to see where they were, I figured if you recognized the name of one it was close, and if not, you wouldnt. Their main location isnt usually open to the public, but it is June 1, but that’s this weekend, so I figured that wouldnt help either.
Lovely picture! I’m so jealous!
Well, you made this super easy by giving me a location. Spotted Owls are West Coast owls from Canada through Mexico, so you’ve got a fine Barred Owl there.
But let’s say we didn’t have a location. How would we figure this out? Let’s take a look at our 2 suspects side by side:
Now our friend the Barred Owl is given his name for that beautiful vertical barring on its belly. You can’t see that at all though in your pic, and even in the first example it’s kinda scrunched up and not super identifiable. Second pic it’s very obvious though. But that wouldn’t help you here, so what else do we see?
Look at those sweet faces. Both are adorable, but one owl has a pale face and one has a dark face. Spotted Owls have a darker base coloring, so they’ll have a dark facial disc compared to the Barred. Now of course we have coloration in various degrees, but even when I try to find a darker faced Barred and a lighter faced Spotted, it takes a little longer glance, but I think you’d still have a good shot at getting it right if you gave it a solid look. Even here the Barred “eyebrows” don’t stand out as much because the face is still much closer in base color to the white brows.
Now let’s look at the back plumage , which your photo also nicely shows. We’ll zoom in to our previous photo for a better look.
Again, whitish base for Barred lets those white stripes shine. Brown base for Spotted makes them more off white, and the back is, much like the front, more spotted than striped.
So all signs point to your guest being a Barred Owl!
Full flow chart
The 2 get mistaken frequently, and with the hybrids it blurs the lines even more. That is one of the main concerns about the project to shoot the Barred Owls and hybrids to protect the Spotted. With Spotted Owls being so reduced in number already, killing just one by accident can be a huge loss.
So you did not get a visit from a rare owl, but it’s still superb! I’m so glad you shared it and we got to learn a lot!
Anon, you are simply incredible!!! Thank you! I’ll pass all this info on to my sister and tell her to try to get more pics. (And I’ll be down there for a few days soon, so maybe I can do some owl stalking)
My pleasure! I hope it becomes a frequent guest for her!
She said she’s been hearing it around for a few weeks, so maybe it moved in close. I asked her to download the Merlin app and try to get a recording of its calls for me.
I don’t know which way you go from MA to WV, but in North Jersey, you may want to visit The Raptor Trust if it’s on your way. That’s the first place I went specifically to see owls, and I plan on going back soon. I believe it’s free.
Oh hey, this is great! I’m actually returning to MA via the coast route because I want to stop by some friends and family on Baltimore on my way back. I’ll be in the perfect position to check that out. I’ll post pics if I do go.
Also potentially helpful, Three Rivers Avian Center in WV is doing some weekend events. Event Calendar
The irony of those mountains. The one in NJ is actually easier for me to get to as I pass by than the one in WV is to get to from my sister’s house. That doesn’t surprise me actually lol
Lol makes sense! I didnt look up all the state parks they were going to be in to see where they were, I figured if you recognized the name of one it was close, and if not, you wouldnt. Their main location isnt usually open to the public, but it is June 1, but that’s this weekend, so I figured that wouldnt help either.
poggers
And now you have taught me something new in return! Never heard that term before, but now I know!
Definitely one of the coolest owls, right up there with all the others.
All owls are top tier!