Belle is a beautiful Barred Owl.  She is missing one eye which can be a little spooky but she is gotten along great here at Roost.  Before she came to us she got trapped in barred wire causing her to facture a wing and loose her eye.  She recovered very well and is fully flying but as far as her sight goes she will never be able to hunt well enough to be released back into the wild

Barred owls not only Hoot, but  also have famous call.  IF you are ever in the woods at night and here a " who who who cooks for you " you are hearing a barred owl call out.  They also bark, scream, and sound like monkies.  Barred Owls are nocturnal they eat mice and other small mamals at night.  Interestingly Barred Owls can actually become prey to larger owls such as Great Horned Owls.  Often Barred Owls and Great Horned Owls share the same home territory so the barred owls will try and hunt at different times than the Great Horned Owls to keep from being a tasty meal.  All Owls have fixed forward facing eyes and their eyes are actually tubular where our eyes are spherical.  Their pupils can let in even light that is barely detected by our eyes giving them great night time vision.  Owls hear extremely well.  They will always hear you in the woods before you ever see them.  Count yourself luckly to see an owl night.

Here is Belle watching some morning cartoons with my son!!