Barred Owl

Barred owls, whose habitat includes much of the eastern United States and southeastern Canada, are smaller than great horned owls. They have a wingspan of roughly 110 cm, and weigh between 630 and 800 grams (1.4 and 1.8 pounds), and (43 inches). Barred owl attacks on hikers have been documented everywhere from Texas to British Columbia.

A weird, well-known homicide in North Carolina was believed to have involved a barred owl. A man was found guilty in 2003 of killing his second wife with a fireplace blow poke. The forensic evidence pertaining to the murder weapon was dismissed by a judge in 2011 after the individual had served a number of years in jail. Shortly after, the defense team for the defendant suggested that a barred owl was to blame for the victim's demise after hearing about barred-owl assaults in the Pacific Northwest and reexamining the wounds on the victim's scalp, face, and wrists.

The woman, who was intoxicated and using painkillers at the time, was allegedly assaulted by a barred owl in her front yard, according to the defense. Before the victim was able to fight it off and free it as she ran into the house, the owl had been tangled in her hair and was continuing to scratch and peck. After climbing the stairs to the second floor, the attorneys suggested that the victim had then fallen back down the stairs to her death, breaking her neck. In 2017 the defendant plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter, which allowed him to maintain his innocence.