Any one know what type of owl this is?

[splashcaster]

I was lucky enough to spot this guy out in the woods this week. I can't tell if it's a barred owl, a spotted owl, or something else...any thoughts?

[RadSav]

Spotted-Barr Hybrid




It could happen

[X-Force]

I'm definitely no expert but it looks like a spotted to me.

[billythekidrock]

Too big for Spotted. Looks like a Barred to me.

[Skyvalhunter]

Hungry owl

[Becky]

Spotted

[Dhoey07]

Looks like a ruffed grouse from the back 

[runamuk]

looks barred to me

[boneaddict]

Young Barred owl

[Alchase]

That is the main instigator of the whole "Spotted Owl" conspiracy!
For 20 years that guy let loggers take the blame for annihilating the spotted owls throughout the Pacific Northwest.
When all along this invader from the East was secretly pushing the poor little spotties out and taking over.
Now that we know how evil the rascal is we have a highly specialized hit team scouring the forest to take him out! Their motto is:

"Survival of the fittest and all logging jobs be darned, in our Biologists we trust!"

They passed on this as their motto, I believe it is more fitting:

"ad absurdum,
Auctoritas non veritas facit legem"

[HunterStrait]

barred owl. A spotted owl would look like this below.


Barred owl

[Romulus1297]

Spotted owl is who to thank for no firewood cutting at Duncan Ridge or anywhere beyond the Shady Pass Rd This fire is a bug killer. Come on Beetle people help save the bugs.

[Becky]

Spotted

50/50 chance of guessing 

[lokidog]

Thank goodness someone knows how to use Google Image Search... good job HunterStrait.   

Alchase, the Barred Owls may have helped push the Spotted Owls out, however it was the opening up of the forests that created the openings that are more conducive to the Barred Owl and its prey.  Forest use should be about balance, we should not be cutting it all (at once anyways), nor should we be preserving it all.