Barred Owl
Strix varia
Synopsis: Breeds in dense forests west of the Cascades and in the Wallowa Mountains Its range is expanding rapidly within Oregon. This species was first discovered in Oregon in the Wallowas in 1974, and subsequently was found in the Blue Mountains, northern Cascades, and Coast Range. It is apparently absent from or very local in open lodgepole forests in the Klamath Basin and dry forests of the Siskiyou Mountains. It hybridizes with Spotted Owl.

Habitat Associations:
strongest
Douglas Fir/White Oak Forest (150942 acres)
strong
Douglas Fir-W. Hemlock-W. Red Cedar Forest (4857067 acres)
Western Oregon Riverine Woodland (8620 acres)
some
Northeast Mixed Conifer Forest (760502 acres)
Douglas Fir-White Fir/Tanoak-Madrone Mixed Forest (335995 acres)
Ponderosa Pine Forest/Woodland (544437 acres)
Douglas Fir dominant - Mixed Conifer Forest (1829635 acres)
Ponderosa Pine/White Oak Forest & Woodland (73287 acres)
Siskiyou Mtns Mixed Deciduous Forest (93546 acres)
White Oak Forest (53544 acres)
Northeast Canyon Grass & Shrubland (273391 acres)
Grassland & Fir-Ponderosa Interspersed (140084 acres)
lesser
Sitka Spruce-W. Hemlock Maritime Forest (184572 acres)
Mountain Hemlock Montane Forest (293665 acres)
True Fir-Hemlock Montane Forest (1147041 acres)
Shasta Red Fir-Mountain Hemlock Forest (46244 acres)
Jeffery Pine Forest/Woodland (58 acres)
Conifer Woodland on Serpentine Bedrock (1716 acres)
Douglas Fir-Port Orford Cedar Forest (62203 acres)
Douglas Fir-Mixed Deciduous Forest (2934 acres)
Red Alder (99110 acres)
Mixed Conifer/Mixed Deciduous Forest (730290 acres)
South coast Mixed Forest (1826 acres)
Streamside/Wetland Shrubland (1088 acres)

Relative Detectability: Difficult to detect due to nocturnal habits, but can be lured into view by imitating its vocalizations. However, the range map is more complete than for some other owl species due to focused efforts by government agencies to survey this species during the atlas project period.

Challenge: Improve knowledge of extent of its distribution within the Blue Mountains. Determine if it breeds in the Ochocos and Siskiyous.