What does the Barred Owl sound like at night?
Press play. If that is the sound outside, you have your answer — the Barred Owl's "Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?".
What you're hearing
A classic eight- or nine-note hooting call often rendered as "Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?". This rhythmic series of deep hoots (with a notable pause before the final, drawn-out hoot) is the Barred Owl's territorial song. Pairs sometimes duet, overlapping or echoing each other's hoots in a haunting exchange.
“Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?”
Birders often file this one under Song.
What time of night you hear it
From about an hour after sunset through the small hours, with a spike again before dawn.
Primarily nocturnal, calling and hunting mostly after dusk. Breeding season is late winter into spring, when pairs call in duets and nest in tree cavities or old nests. Young owls fledge in early summer and may disperse short distances in the fall. No long-distance seasonal movements occur for this sedentary owl.
Why a Barred Owl calls at night
Barred Owls are the loudest voice in a lot of eastern woods after dark. The hooting is territorial advertising, and pairs answer each other in raucous, cackling duets — which is why a "single owl" often turns into two birds shouting across a ravine. Late winter into early spring is the noisiest stretch, when pairs are re-establishing territory.
What else could it be?
The other voices you are most likely to hear in the dark. Play them and compare.