Guide to New England owls: barn owl, barred owl, boreal owl

The barn owl's heart-shaped face is very distinctive. photo by Racheeo

As the name implies, barn owls tend to nest in old New England barns, and can be found in the southern regions of New England. These owls can be difficult to find for the average birder unless you happen to have a barn or old, open building in which this bird nests. They prefer well sheltered buildings or caves since their feathers have no oil and will become water-logged if rained upon. They are nocturnal and hunt mice and other small rodents in open spaces. They have a distinctive white, heart shaped face that makes them fairly easy to identify by eye if you see them sitting still. The screech own doesn’t hoot like the stereotypical owl, but instead makes a variety of noises including hisses and chirping sounds along with some higher pitched blood-curdling screams that might sound at times a bit more like a slasher movie actress than an owl. Listen to the barn owl calls here at Naturesongs.com.

 

The Barred Owl has a very distinctive four note call that is much more like the hoots that people expect from owls. Many birders remember the barred owl call with the simple mnemonic “Who cooks for you?”  The two final syllables of the barred owls call come in quick succession. The call is used to define the barred owl’s territory and carries a goodly distance. Barred Owls can be found throughout New England all year round, preferring thick, wet forests since they hunts frogs, in addition to rodents and small birds. Although predominantly nocturnal, they can be seen sitting outside their nest holes during the day and sometimes even calling during daylight hours, although it is more usual to hear them in the dark of the night. The barred owl has no visible ear tufts and looks almost as if someone drew thin circles around its brown (not yellow) eyes with a marker, these markings are noticeably rounder and fuller circles than that of other New England owls. Its yellow beak will visible in between the two circles.

 

The boreal owl is much smaller than the other two on this page. It is just a bit larger than the American Robin that New Englanders welcome as a harbinger of sprint. It has no visible ear tufts and has a darker outer border around its eye patches than the Northern Saw-whet owl. The Boreal Owl is a little bigger than the Northern Saw-whet Owl as well, though they are similar in appearance. The boreal owl may be found in extreme Northern New England during the winter months. If found further south in New England, during the breeding months, or during the daytime, first make sure it isn’t a Northern Saw-whet Owl since the Boreal Owl generally stays well hidden during daylight hours, and rarely breeds south of Canada in the east. The call is a rapid series of short hoots that you can listen to here at whatbird.com.