The Barn owl (Tyto alba)
Family: Tytonidae
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Habitat: Open (rough) grassland or woodland edge habitat
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Diet: Small mammals, notably the Field Vole
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Predators: Other birds of prey such as Goshawk and Buzzard. Young barn owls (owlets) which may leave the nest too early can be taken by mammals such as foxes and cats.
Field Signs:
Evidence of barn owls can often be found in old buildings and barns where the birds roost. Barn owl poo is very white in colour and will normally be seen underneath beams where the birds have been perched previously. If the site is frequently used feathers may also be present which tend to be white in colour with a cream tinge. However, the most notable of all the field signs are the pellets. Pellets are formed from indigestible food (fur, feather and bone) that the owl’s stomach cannot digest so is regurgitated. The pellets have a very uniform colour being black when fresh and then turning grey as they dry – sometimes you will see bone fragments on the external surface of the pellet.
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Breeding & Resting Places:
Barn owls are a cavity nesting species which rely on hollows within trees or stacked hay bales to provide a safe space away from the weather and predators, for both roosting and breeding. Natural nest sites are becoming harder to find due to the removal of trees and construction of new modern buildings. Artificial nest boxes provide a substitute for these diminishing natural sites, which if sited in a suitable location can receive near instant uptake.
Biometrics:
Stand around 30cm tall with a wing span of approx. 85cm – very little skeleton beneath the feathers allowing them to fit through a gap around 2” wide. Females are often slightly larger than the males and typically have black fleckles on the chest or under wings, which the males tend to lack.
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Features:
The barn owl is a crepuscular hunter being most active at dawn and dusk, relying significantly on its hearing to hunt. Evolved with a heart shaped facial disc and symmetrical hearing (with one ear sitting slightly higher up than the other) the barn owl is able to hunt with extreme precision by listening to small mammals within the vegetation.
Serrated edges on some of the primary feathers smooths the air flow resulting in an almost silent flight. The silent flight combined with a reversible outer toe allows the barn owl to be a very efficient deadly silent hunter.
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