Owls have an incredible arsenal of weapons to help them catch prey.

They are: excellent night vision; good hearing; serrated, comb-like feathers on the leading edges of their wings that break up air turbulence and muffle sound; stout, broad wings that allow them to glide silently for long distances, and razor-sharp talons that can cut through a leather boot, like a knife slicing through Rochefort cheese.

Barred owls (Strix varia) have another arrow in their quiver. They perch hunt, like some other predators, where they quietly sit, listen and watch for movements from an unwary quarry. Then they pounce.

I saw my first barred owl not long ago in the Borough of Stonington, roosting in a big hemlock, and was startled by its hefty size and beautiful plumage.

Adult barred owls are 19 to 21 inches long, weigh about a pound, and have a 43-inch wingspan. That makes them larger than a barn owl and smaller than a great horned owl, who are their worst enemies, next to speeding cars that sometimes ding barred owls when they’re hunting.

Great horned owls eat, among other things, barred owl’s eggs, chicks and adults, if they can catch them.

Up close, you’ll notice barred owls have no ear tufts, while sporting big, dark eyes, white spots on their back and distinguishing brown streaks or “bars” running lengthwise down their cream-colored chests.

These impressive predators are most active from dusk to dawn. However, they will not pass up an opportunity to snatch a chipmunk or mouse during the day, if they see one.

What was a barred owl doing in the Borough? I asked the same question when I recently saw a healthy looking red fox trotting down a side street in the Borough at 9 p.m.

My guess is both the owl and the fox have adapted to urban life — one in the air, the other on the ground — and evidently they’ve found enough food to sustain themselves.

When I went back home and looked up barred owls, I discovered these large predators prefer to live in deep forests, but will prowl urban areas, if there is enough food and tall trees to nest and perch in. The Borough has all the above.

Finally, barred owls may “perch over water and drop down to catch fish, or even wade in shallow water in pursuit of fish and crayfish,” according to All About Birds. com.

That’s what I love about wildlife. They’re full of surprises, and we have so much to learn from them.

If you know or have heard of any fun or unusual animal stories, please write me, and I will gladly share these stories or photos in future columns.

Bill Hobbs is a resident of Stonington, and a lifelong birder. He can be reached for comments at whobbs246@gmail.com.