#WildlifeWednesday Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all? Who cooks for you? If someone kept asking you in the night on your last camping trip, it was probably this guy, the barred owl. Barred owls are common throughout eastern North America from Nova Scotia to Florida, and they love the deciduous and mixed forest of New York. Barred owls mate for life and breed annually. They hunt small mammals, particularly voles, shrews, moles, mice and rats, but have been known to hunt more than 100 species of birds as well. Wild barred owls have lived to 18. Their range is expanding westward, but they're less than welcome on the other coast, where they're outcompeting the native spotted owl. But in the East, they're an important part of the ecosystem. Encounters with them lend a special dimension to outdoor adventures, even if it means a little less sleep at night! #BarredOwl #OwlsOfInstagram #Owlstagram #Owlsome #WhoCooksForYou #NYStateParks