Barn Owl

The Barn Owl are the most widespread of all the birds of prey in the world, found on every continent except for the north and south poles.


They use their amazing sense of hearing to detect the sound of rodents with deadly accuracy. Their facial disc is a heart shape and unique to Barn owls and Bay owls.

  • Least Concern
  • Near Threatened
  • Vulnerable
  • Endangered
  • Critically Endangered
  • Extinct in the Wild
  • Extinct

Barn owls are relatively common throughout most of their range, but numbers are declining worldwide mostly due to habitat destruction, especially in the UK. Climate affects their numbers quite dramatically as well, as they are unable to hunt in prolonged wet weather.

Meet Sophie!


Sophie is now a very old lady! She spends a lot of her time tucked up in her box, peering out as people go by.  Out of our two barn owls Sophie is the less spotty individual.  Sophie’s Favourite food is chicks and mice.

 

Meet Gertie!


Gertie is very inquisitive and always likes to come and see what keepers are doing in her aviary. She can often be heard making the characteristic ‘screech’ sound that barn owls make.  She is a great flyer and demonstrates her natural quartering behaviour in the shows. She does also love a shower on a hot day, getting so carried away with it that she often falls over in her water dish. She is the spottier of our two barn owls with lots of tiny, black spots on her chest. 

Key Facts

Family:
Tytonidae
Diet:
Rodents, rats, mice, shrews, moles, and voles.
Height:
29cm - 44cm
Life Span:
7 years wild | 15 - 20 years captivity
Number of Young:
3 - 7 eggs laid
Distribution:
Worldwide, on every continent except the Arctic and Antarctica.
Habitat:
Open lowlands, rough grassland, plantations, heath, marsh, coastal regions, savannah
Did you know?
Barn owls can differ in size and colour across the world as there are different sub species.

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