Barn Owl
Stomper Female Barn Owl
MEASUREMENTS: The Barn Owl has a body length of 14 - 20 inches, a 3 1/2 foot wingspan, and weighs 8 - 21 ounces. Barn Owl measurements vary greatly throughout the world. HABITAT: Barn Owls are nearly cosmopolitan, living in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and Australia. Their northern range is limited by the severity of winter weather and food availability. These owls prefer open lowlands with some trees, including farmlands, plantations, urban areas, various forest types, semiarid shrub lands, and marshes.
DIET: The majority of prey taken is small mammals, but Barn Owls will also hunt birds, fish, reptiles, and insects. Barn Owls hunt from a perch and swoop down onto their prey, or fly within 10 feet of the ground and dive onto their prey with their talons extended.
REPRODUCTION: Barn Owls nest in natural hollows in trees, cliffs, and caves, or in man-made structures, like nest boxes, barns, chimneys, and other structures. The nest is a scrape lined with pellets or other debris. The female lays 4 - 7 eggs, sometimes more, which are incubated for 29 - 34 days. Young owls fledge 7 - 10 weeks after hatching, but do not leave the area until they are 3 - 5 months old. The breeding pair may lay a second clutch of eggs when the young start to leave the area. A Barn Owl can reproduce at less than a year old.
NAME DERIVATION: The scientific name comes from the Greek word tyto, which refers to an owl, and alba, the Latin word for white. The common name refers to the owl’s use of man-made structures, like barns, as roosts and nest sites. This owl has also been called Monkey-faced Owl, White Owl, Ghost Owl, and Night Owl.
INTERESTING FACTS:
DIET: The majority of prey taken is small mammals, but Barn Owls will also hunt birds, fish, reptiles, and insects. Barn Owls hunt from a perch and swoop down onto their prey, or fly within 10 feet of the ground and dive onto their prey with their talons extended.
REPRODUCTION: Barn Owls nest in natural hollows in trees, cliffs, and caves, or in man-made structures, like nest boxes, barns, chimneys, and other structures. The nest is a scrape lined with pellets or other debris. The female lays 4 - 7 eggs, sometimes more, which are incubated for 29 - 34 days. Young owls fledge 7 - 10 weeks after hatching, but do not leave the area until they are 3 - 5 months old. The breeding pair may lay a second clutch of eggs when the young start to leave the area. A Barn Owl can reproduce at less than a year old.
NAME DERIVATION: The scientific name comes from the Greek word tyto, which refers to an owl, and alba, the Latin word for white. The common name refers to the owl’s use of man-made structures, like barns, as roosts and nest sites. This owl has also been called Monkey-faced Owl, White Owl, Ghost Owl, and Night Owl.
INTERESTING FACTS:
- Barn Owls have been associated with omens, witchcraft, and death. Throughout history they were used as symbols, in myths, and as part of superstitious potions.
- During laboratory experimentation, Barn Owls have shown that by using their hearing they can catch prey in total darkness.
- Of all the owls studied, the Barn Owl shows the best ability to discern exactly where a sound is coming from, and is able to memorize the complex sounds associated with a certain type of prey.