Barred owl (Strix varia).

The dark-eyed owl with a goofy call, a quirky history, and a penchant for bottomland forests. 

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The following Cornell Lab | Macaulay Library recordings were used in this episode: 

• Barred Owl call and counter-singing by Geoffrey A. Keller (ML507062) 
• Barred Owl Screeching by Robert C. Stein and William W. H. Gunn (ML507064) 

Sources and more: 

• https://www.audubon.org/news/is-mothman-west-virginia-owl
• https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barred_Owl  
• https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/barred-owl  
• Dobson C, Kassenbaum D, Oehmke D, et al. 2023. Field guide to hotspots and birds in Illinois. Champaign-Urbana: Scissortail LLC.
• Peterson RT, Peterson VM. 1980. A field guide to the birds : a completely new guide to all the birds of eastern and central North America. Fourth edition, completely revised and enlarged. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company (The Peterson field guide series ; 1).
• Sibley D. 2016. Sibley birds East : field guide to birds of eastern North America. Second edition. New York: Alfred A. Knopf (Field guide to birds of eastern North America).