Description:
This is an owl portrait of Papa, an aged Barred Owl. The Barred Owl has also been known as Northern Barred Owl, Swamp Owl, Striped Owl, Hoot Owl, Eight hooter, Round-headed Owl, Le Chat-huant du Nord (French for "The Hooting Cat of the North"), Wood Owl, and Rain Owl. It is also mistakenly known as a Bard Owl. By any terms a handsome and majestic bird. The Barred Owl is a medium-sized gray-brown owl streaked with white horizontal barring on the chest and vertical barring on the belly. They are round-headed with a whitish/brown facial disk with dark brown trim. The eyes are brown, and the beak is yellow and almost covered by feathers. They have a long tail. There is no difference in plumage between males and the larger females. Like most owls, the Barred Owl is a nocturnal bird. They tend to hide in dense foliage during the day, usually high up. May also roost on a branch close to a broad tree-trunk, or in a natural tree hole. They may be very aggressive when defending a nest.
