While barred owls are common in New England, and we often hear their “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?” hoots in the dark, actually spotting these nocturnal predators in the daylight is a delightful surprise. Barred owls are named for their horizontal throat and chest barring with vertical stripes below. You will also notice their large round head lacking ear tufts, pale facial disc, and those wonderful dark brown, forward-facing eyes.
With these big eyes, owls can see in very dim light, but they are also quite capable of seeing in broad daylight. Owl eyes, like ours, have both cone-shaped and rod-shaped photoreceptor cells. The cone-shaped cells help with color vision while the rod-shaped cells are important for seeing in dim light. Barred owls have lots more rods than cones, some 30 times more, assisting them to see at night when their prey tends to be most active. However, in daylight, owls’ pupils can adjust to allow less light in. They might also partially close their eyes to block some sun, making it appear as if they are snoozing even though they are fully alert.
Their typical habitat is mature mixed deciduous and coniferous woods, often near water, where they can roost camouflaged in the dense trees. So what would cause an owl to be active during the day? Perhaps the owl was spotted sleeping by some crows who chased the owl away from a quiet roost. Perhaps the hungry owl wasn’t successful hunting for food last night and is still on the prowl. Or, depending on the time of year, perhaps the owl was awake defending territory, searching for a mate, or protecting young.
How good is YOUR eyesight? Can you spot the barred owl in this photo?