Ask A Scientist Zoology Archive

name         Sally A.
age          40s

Question -   How do barred owls spend their winters? Also how do they
breathe, eat and excrete wastes as they (barred owls) develop in their egg?
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Barred owls are permanent residents in most of their range, and are active
all winter.
Following is an excerpt from an extended article on eggs in The Birder's
Handbook, See also any basic ornithology text.

"Some of the details of bird embryology are well known, thanks to intensive
research on the domestic chicken.  Indeed, generations of biology students
have studied the embryology of the chick.  The zygote begins development on
the surface of the yolk, which is the main energy source for the chick
embryo.  The "white" (albumen) of the egg provides a sterile, protective,
cushioned surrounding for the yolk and the developing embryo.  A series of
membranes carries out functions for the developing embryo; one (the amnion)
cushions it so that no matter how an egg is turned, the embryo always
remains "up.""

Copyright © 1988 by Paul R. Ehrlich, David S. Dobkin, and Darryl Wheye.

J. Elliott
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Believe me, after spending two years chasing a Barred Owl using radio-telemetry
in the worst of winters and at night, I can safely say that these birds are 
active all winter.  They are effective hunters.
Steve Sample
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