Peace River Wildlife Center

Adoption $25.00 monthly

Ambassador Orion is a Barred Owl that fell out of his nest and into a woman’s yard in the winter of 2016. She called the Wildlife Center of Venice who responded and put him back up into his nest. After seeing how cute the baby was, the woman began visiting the nest regularly. She would call him down and feed him causing him to become imprinted to people. When she finally called WCV again, they recognized that he was imprinted and deemed that he would not survive successfully in the wild. They brought him back to their Center and contacted PRWC to find a permanent place for him to live.

Cool Facts about Barred Owls like Ambassador Orion

The belly feathers of some Barred Owls are pink. This coloring may be the result of eating a lot of crayfish. Barred Owl populations have expanded westward in the last century, where the more aggressive Barred Owl may displace the endangered Spotted Owl. Hybrids of the two species are also known. The Great Horned Owl is the most serious predator threat to the Barred Owl. Although they often live in the same areas, the Barred Owl will avoid all parts of its territory occupied by the Great Horned Owl.

• Habitat: Forested areas, from swamps and riparian areas to uplands. Prefers large blocks of forest
• Food: Small mammals, Rabbits, Birds, amphibians, reptiles and invertebrates
• Nesting: Builds in cavities in deciduous trees or uses open nests made by Hawks or Crows. Also uses nest boxes.
• Behavior: Barred Owls typically hunt at night or at dusk by sitting on a high perch and looking and listening for prey which they catch with a short flight or drop to the ground. Barred Owls can be aggressive, flying at and fighting rivals at the edges of its territory. This tendency extends to encounters with the closely related Spotted Owl; where the two species overlap (in the western US) the more aggressive Barred Owl often displaces the Spotted Owl
• Conservation: Most populations increasing

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