This barred owl was resting on a fence postin Northern Manatee County, Florida.

The Barred owls (strix varia) can be found in large mature forest and treed swamps across lower Canada and the upper United States from the Atlantic to Pacific Oceans. Also known as the hoot owl, they go as far south as northern California on the.west coast of the United States and appear in every state of the United States east of the Mississippi River.

The barred owls diet consist mainly of small animals, usually rodents, ampilbians, reptiles, insects, and fish. They are a generalist predator.

A barred owl posing in a tree for photographers in the Circle B Bar Preserve in Polk County, Florida.

A fledgling barred owl rests on a branch in Tampa, Florida's Lettuce Lake Park.

A nely fledged barred owl rest on a limb near its nest in Tampa, Florida's Lettuce Lake Park.

A barred owl in Tampa, Florida's Lettuce Lake Park

This juvenile barred owl was perched in a tree in Tampa, Florida's Lettuce lake Park.

This juvenile barred owl rests on a branch in Tampa, Florida's Lettuce Lake Park.

This juvenile barred owl has captured a large caterpillar for a meal in Tampa, Florida's Lettuce Lake Park.

A fledgling barred owlet uses one of its wings for balance as it stretches to its full height at Lettuce Lake Park in Tampa, Florida.

After a tiring, exciting first flight, a barred owl fledgling takes a nap at Lettuce Lake Park in Tampa, Florida.

A young barred owl watches all the photographers making a record of its first flights at Lettuce Lake Park in Tampa, Florida.

A barred owl fledgling contemplates its next move after its maiden flight from the nest at Lettuce Lake Park in Tampa, Florida.