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Wildlife at the MacKenzie Center

Description:  The brown-eyed barred owl is the only non-yellow eyed owl in the United States.  It has a horizontally barred feather pattern on the breast and a vertical pattern on the belly.  Barred owls are medium sized round-headed owls. 

Habitat:  Barred owls are common throughout Wisconsin preferring river bottoms and swamp forests, but are also found in dense coniferous stands and upland forests.  Their possible nest sites include tree cavities, hollows in the top of broken trees or abandoned hawk or crow nests.

Diet:  Mice, chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, frogs, snails, bats, small birds and even grasshoppers are all prey for the barred owl.

Habits:  The barred owl has an eight-hoot call that sounds like, “Who cooks for you?  Who cooks for you-alllll?”  Like most owls, barred owls are heard more often than seen.  This is partly because of their nocturnal habits but also because owls are very quiet flyers.

Barred Owls and People:  Before cutting a dead tree, check it over.  Does it have any holes or cavities?  If it does it could be the home of this owl or many other kinds of wildlife.  You might want to reconsider whether or not it is necessary to be cut down.

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