Barred Owl Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesBarred Owl
Adult
Fairly large, with dark eyes and a yellow bill. Buffy below with dark streaks, and brown on the back with white mottling.
© Blair Dudeck / Macaulay LibraryOntario, November 03, 2020Adult
Upperparts are brown with mottling, and the tail is brown with white barring.
© Sean Fitzgerald / Macaulay LibraryMinnesota, January 30, 2017Adult
A large, stocky owl with a rounded head and no ear tufts. Song is a distinctive hooting described as “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?”
© mark daly / Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, June 16, 2019Juvenile
Juveniles are gray and fluffy with darker brown barring and mottling throughout.
© Tina Green / Macaulay LibraryConnecticut, May 03, 2017Adult
Often occurs as pairs throughout the year.
© Matthew Violette / Macaulay LibraryFlorida, June 07, 2016Adult
Mostly nocturnal, but sometimes active in morning and evening. Tends to sit quietly, swiveling head to listen for prey. Note round head and brown eyes.
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibraryArkansas, March 01, 2005Adult
Hunts for a variety of prey, including amphibians and fish.
© Louise Auclair / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, December 30, 2016Adult
Typically occurs in well wooded habitats, but will come to edges and more open areas.
© Scott Gibson / Macaulay LibraryOntario, February 04, 2017Adult
Typically conceals itself amid branches and foliage to sleep during the day. Sometimes discovered by forest birds and mobbed or scolded; their calls can be a good way to find owls.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryNew York, April 12, 2015Adult
Flies with broad, rounded wings. Big head and flat face gives a blunt-headed appearance in flight that can help distinguish from hawks.
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibraryArkansas, April 08, 2005Similar SpeciesSpotted Owl
Adult (California)
Spotted Owls have brown underparts marked by white spots, lacking the brown vertical barring of Barred Owls.
© Max Leibowitz / Macaulay LibraryCaliforniaSimilar SpeciesGreat Horned Owl
Adult (Great Horned)
Great Horned Owls have yellow eyes and prominent ear tufts instead of the Barred Owl’s black eyes and rounded head.
© Tony V / Macaulay LibraryWashington, March 17, 2017Similar SpeciesAmerican Barn Owl
Adult
American Barn Owls are much paler than Barred Owls, with a plain or lightly spotted belly without the streaking seen on Barred Owls. They occur in more open country rather than forests where Barred Owls occur.
© Darren Clark / Macaulay LibraryIdaho, January 21, 2017Similar SpeciesGreat Gray Owl
Adult
Great Gray Owls are considerably larger and grayer overall than Barred Owls with yellow (not dark) eyes.
© Ian Davies / Macaulay LibraryQuebecCompare with Similar Species
Click on an image to compare
Species in This Family
Owls(Order: Strigiformes, Family: Strigidae)
More to Read
Don't miss a thing! Join our email list
The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds,
birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation.