 Breeding evidence |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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2.72 (1.82 - 3.71)|
Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
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Atlas Results
Atlas results coming soon
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
The Barred Owl is nocturnal, strongly territorial, and essentially non-migratory, it often goes unnoticed apart from its loud and distinctive vocalizations. An opportunistic predator, it consumes birds (including small owls) up to the size of grouse, small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates (Mazur and James 2000). Permanent resident from the Pacific Northwest south to California, across the southern Boreal to the Maritimes and throughout eastern US.
Only old deciduous and mixedwood forest, the most structurally and species-diverse habitat type in the boreal forest, provides an adequate number of large-diameter trees suitable for nesting (Mazur, James, Fitzsimmons et al. 1997). More than other owl species, Barred Owls are usually found near water (Mazur, James et al. 1997).
The Barred Owl is a relative newcomer to Saskatchewan. It apparently spread into Saskatchewan along the riparian forest of the Saskatchewan River, west from The Pas. This species remains an uncommon permanent resident of the mature forests, now across the width of the southern boreal region (Smith 1996). Its westward spread was most likely facilitated by the suppression of forest fires, which allowed forests to mature (ibid., Houston and McGowan 1999). Threats to Barred Owl populations include timber harvest of old-growth forest and the resultant monoculture that follows reforestation and forest fires.
Original text by Harold E. Fisher. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Barred Owl in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Barred Owl in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=BADO&lang=en [14 Nov 2025]
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