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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
barn
owl, golden owl, white owl, monkey-faced owl |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Aves |
| ORDER: |
Strigiformes |
| FAMILY: |
Strigidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Tyto
(night owl) alba (white) |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
The
barn owl is primarily white with yellow and tawny
shade and it is freckles of dark specks. The eyes
and beak are completely encircled by a heart-shaped
facial ruff of white feathers rimmed with tan feathers. |
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| SIZE: |
Approximately
37.5-50 cm (15-20 in.) |
| FEMALE |
Females
usually are larger than males |
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| WEIGHT: |
Approximately
450-560 g (15.8-19.6 lb.) |
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| DIET: |
95%
of the diet is of small mammals; also occasionally
feeds on small birds |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
Approximately
12 months |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Up
to 10 years, but rare |
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| RANGE: |
Nearly
found worldwide; only absent from high latitudes |
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| HABITAT: |
Found in a wide range of habitats |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Appendix
II |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
In
the wild, many young barn owls do not survive their
first year of life. Some scientists think this may
be a result of breeding and raising large clutches
more than once a year, which uses a lot of energy. |
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| 2. |
Barn owl pairs typically stay together as long as
both members of the pair are alive. They do not
create a nest; rather they deposit the eggs in manmade
structures such as towers, barns, etc. - often using
the site year after year. |
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| 3. |
Farmers and ranchers are increasingly attracted
to the barn owl's ability to control rodents better
than traps, poison, or cats. In some Pacific islands
they have been introduced for rat control and have
been provided with nest boxes in palm groves by
locals for the same purpose. |
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| 4. |
Barn
owls are able to consume twice as much food as other
owls in comparison to their weight. They are able
to cover 100 acres each night in search of food.
A single barn owl offspring is able to consume 25,000
mice a year. |
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| 5. |
They
are often seen in barns and agricultural fields
which provide them with ample hunting sites. During
the day they find an enclosed area in an old building,
hollow tree, or hole in a rocky cliff and sleep
away the afternoon. |
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| 6. |
Barn
owls hunt at night, and although they have very
good vision, they rely mostly on their sense of
hearing. Owl ears are located one higher than the
other, increasing sound reception. During flight,
the left ear captures sounds below while the right
ear focuses on sounds from above. |
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| 7. |
In
addition, their face feathers create a disc, which
works to trap and focus sound. Researchers found
that in total blackness the barn owl is still able
to find the smallest of prey because of their excellent
hearing. |
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| 8. |
Owls’
eyes look forward in a fixed position and cannot
move from side to side, as the human eye can. In
order to see peripherally, the owl must turn its
entire head. |
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| 9. |
It
is a myth that owls can turn their head all the
way around. Owls have 14 neck vertebrae, allowing
them to move their head 270 degrees. |
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| 10. |
Barn
owls have a serrated comb on the middle toes claw.
So far, scientists believe this to be a grooming
adaptation. |
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| 11. |
Most
owls have unique, comb like feathers that allow
for silent flight. The leading edge is "fringed"
so that the feathers, when moving, do not make noise
when rubbing together. |
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As predators, owls play an important role in the
environment by controlling small animal populations.
Because mammals are a primary prey item, this
can be especially beneficial to humans, reducing
the amount of food lost each year to rodents.
Barn owls are also a food source for other animals.
In
the Midwestern U.S., declining barn owl populations
were cause for concern in the early 1980s. Six
states declared the species endangered and nine
others, "worthy of special concern".
Chemical pesticide use has found its way into
their eggs, causing a thinner eggshell and subsequent
death. Removal of farm structures used for nesting
and roosting sites and the loss of open fields
for hunting territory have both contributed to
barn owl destruction. Currently, North American
populations of barn owls primarily live in southeastern
states where rural areas provide enough old trees
and buildings for nesting sites and farmlands
and open fields for hunting.
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|
|
| Bent,
A.C. Life Histories of North American Birds of
Prey. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1961. |
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|
Gotch, A.F. Birds - Their Latin Names Explained.
Dorset: Blandford Press, 1981.
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| Marti,
C.D. The Birds of North America. The Academy
of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 1992. |
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| National
Geographic Society. 1983. Field Guide to the
Birds of North America. 2nd ed. Washington,
D.C. |
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| Peterson,
R.T. Peterson Field Guide: Eastern Birds.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.1980. |
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| http://www.desertusa.com/june97/du_barnowl.html |
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