LUTZ, Fla. (WFLA) – Eyewitnesses call her a terror. She’s only two feet tall, but her deep, dark eyes and razor sharp talons are enough to intimidate anyone and everyone she meets.

The newest resident in one Lutz community is not exactly making nice with the neighbors. In fact, residents claim she’s downright dangerous. A barred owl is making her presence known and scaring families in the process. She’s bold, brave and doesn’t have one ounce of bashful in her.

“She is mean,” said Robert Hudson, a worried father of two. “She came right at us. We’ve talked to people, and it’s nesting season. We think she’s protecting her babies,” Robert said.

Indeed, Robert had a close encounter with the bird. As soon as he and his family got home one night, the owl swooped into their garage and tried to fly into their minivan. Inside the vehicle, his wife frantically worked to protect their 8-month-old daughter, Zara, and their 4-year-old son, Milo.

“It makes a very distinctive hoot, and it was hooting and being very aggressive,” Robert said.

Robert’s wife, Angela, was terrified when she heard the whooshing sound of wings flapping. “I could hear the animal in the garage. Rob was swatting away at it so I got back in to the van with the kids,” Angela told News Channel 8. “My first thought was, ‘I can’t believe this is happening to us.'”

Their neighbor, Bambi Norris, described a similar experience. She was taking her 14-year-old daughter to the bus stop early one morning in a golf cart when the owl flew straight at them and dug its claws into Bambi’s scalp.

“Knocked it off me, then it jumped on my daughter. We knocked it off her, then it got on the golf cart and began hooting aggressively at us,” she said.

Then, there’s another neighbor around the corner who relayed her scary encounter. “He just charged right at me, grabbed me by the hair. I ran into the garage. He chased me in the garage,” local realtor Martha Julian said. “I carry an umbrella now wherever I go.”

Because the barred owl is protected, neighbors cannot do much at this point. Residents maintain that they don’t want to see the owl hurt, but they have to protect themselves against her aggression.

“We don’t want the owl hurt but we want this to stop,” another neighbor said. “It’s got to stop.”

They are watching out for each other and do not go out much after dark. Although owls are primarily nocturnal, the neighbors maintain they’ve seen this particular owl in the afternoon.

Bambi filed a report with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission documenting the attacks.DON’T LEAVE UNTIL YOU CHECK OUT THESE STORIES: