NORTHERN BARRED OWL 187 



Young barred owls are hatched with their eyes closed, but by the end 

 of a week their eyes are partially opened, they begin to show some 

 activity when handled, and are able to utter a faint peeping sound. 

 The young are brooded by their parents most of the time until they 

 are at least three weeks old, when they begin to move about more and 

 are beginning to show fight when handled, snapping their bills, turning 

 over onto their backs, and presenting formidable sets of claws; one 

 has to handle them with heavy gloves. 



The coming and going of the adults and the increasing activities of 

 the young reduce what was once a well-built and deeply hollowed nest 

 to a smaller and flatter platform; this makes the nest increasingly 

 dangerous as a cradle for the young, and the old owls do not seem to 

 know how to meet the situation. I can remember at least three young, 

 half grown or less, that have fallen from the nest; one of these dis- 

 appeared, probably killed and eaten by some predator. I happened 

 to see one of the others fall, in attempting to back up to the insecure 

 edge of the nest; the fall of 57 feet did not seem to have hurt him 

 seriously, so I returned him to the nest. The third one I found at 

 the base of the tree, apparently unhurt after a fall of 45 feet. 



When about four or five weeks old, the young are able to climb out 

 of the now dilapidated nest and move about among the surrounding 

 branches before they are able to fly; I have never seen them on the 

 ground at this age, as I have several times seen young great horned 

 owls. A young bird that I took from a nest, when fully three weeks 

 old, refused to eat unless food was actually placed in his mouth, from 

 which I infer that the old birds must tear up the food and feed it to the 

 young up to this age at least. 



I have some evidence to indicate that young barred owls are 

 attended, and probably fed, by their parents during their first summer 

 and perhaps much longer. On August 7, 1935, my cousin, Arthur R. 

 Sharp, Jr., shot on his farm and gave to me two young owls that were 

 probably fully four months old, that were being followed about by 

 at least one of their parents, and were apparently calling upon them 

 for food. Pie has sent me the following notes on his experience with 

 them: 



"Shortly after I had heard a barred owl hoot, not more than 100 

 yards away, a squeaking noise, at first supposed to come from a rat, 

 issued from the same direction though it seemed nearer. On approach- 

 ing, it became increasingly apparent to me that this frequently 

 repeated sound came from two birds situated where the original hoot- 

 ing had been heard. As the first bird fell to the gun, the second 

 flew about 50 yards into the woods and again began to squeak. 

 They proved to be young barred owls, practically fully grown and 

 well feathered except for the head, which was still covered with 

 feathery down. 



