Barn Owl

Tyto Alba

Distribution: This species can be found worldwide, from temperate to warm climates but generally absent from colder climes. 

Habitat: Open countryside is the preferred environment, such as pasture, farm and grasslands, hilly landscaped with scattered trees for roosting, parks, large gardens, marsh and even well into towns and villages. Both canyon and ravines with steep walls are also favoured. 

Food: Mainly small mammals, (rats, mice, voles and shrews), depending on area so have become specialized in catching both birds and bats on the wing. Small reptiles, frogs and insect have all been recorded prey items. 

Facts: 

• An adaptable hunter, the Barn owl as a number of differing hunting and flying patterns. Like mainly birds of prey they will often stand motionless on a fence post, utility-pole or tree branch watching and waiting for prey to come within range, then after a long, low but powerful glide the prey in caught and killed with the powerful feet and often the beak as well. Another technique this species favours is a low, fairly slow quartering flight over field margins, edges of ditches and across grassland mainly listening for their prey. Once located the barn owl will often hover before pouncing down feet first to grab their prey.
• Both in and out of the breeding season, both the male and female can be seen circling and soaring over their territory, but during the breeding season the pair will frequently soar and circle together is an aerial sky-dance.
• Will normally mate and pair for life.
• The vast majority of the prey is located by using their specialized and sensitive hearing.
• Although mainly a nocturnal hunter, it is fairly common to see the male flying and hunting early morning and sometimes through the entire day throughout the breeding season.
• The average number of eggs in a clutch is 4-7, but there have been recordings of 12-15 in a single clutch of eggs.
• Fairly robust in their choice of nesting sites: barns, churches, old and abandoned buildings, deep hole in walls as well as specialized nest boxes. More naturally, tree hollows, cavities in the cliff faces and other rocky areas, in some cases they have been seen nesting on the ground.
• Average weight of the male is around 250-375grams while the larger female ranges from 320 to 480grams. 
• There are believed to be 32 different sub species in total.
•  A Barn Owls life is harsh and for every 6 chicks hatched to a pair, only one will make it through the following year.  There are only approximately 3500 pairs left in the UK, so they are under threat.  

It is known by many other names: White Owl, Silver Owl, Demon Owl, Ghost Owl, Death Owl, Night Owl, Rat Owl, Church Owl, Cave Owl, Stone Owl, Monkey-faced Owl, Hissing Owl, Hobgoblin or Hobby Owl, Dobby Owl,White Breasted Owl, Golden Owl, Scritch Owl, Screech Owl, Straw Owl, Barnyard Owl and Delicate Owl.  

Barn owls tend to be long-winged, pale and long-legged with a short squarish tail.

Barn owls hunt by flying low and slowly over an area of open ground until they spot their prey, fence posts are often used as look out posts in preparation to ambush prey. The Barn Owl feeds primarily on small rodents and eat one or more per night. A nesting pair and their young can eat more than 1,000 rodents per year.  

The owls at Knockhatch get very excited when seeing the Knockhatch staff green uniform or their regular handlers and may fly up to the wire in anticipation of being fed.  They are not trying to escape and this is normal behaviour for well trained owls.