Welcome to the International Barn Owl Restoration Project. This Web Page is under modification in order to appeal more to younger audiences, so many of the former scientific details are being replaced with more understandable text.
My name is Douglas E. Trapp and I am a raptor biologist who specializes in Nocturnal (Night-Time) predatory birds. I have many years of experience, particularly with Barn Owl research. The information below is based on my knowledge and experience almost entirely.
Below is a photo of a Barn Owl which shows the facial disc and the large, dark eyes. The facial disc is used to collect sounds from below and bring them to the ears, like a satellite dish.
One important thing to understand about the Barn Owl is that they fall into a whole separate classification of owl, different from any other type. In this unique family are included the Barn Owl, Grass Owl, Sooty Owl, Bay Owl, and Masked Owl, All of these species are within the family "Scientifically" known as Tytonidae (Pronounced Tie-tawn-e-dee), or "Barn Owls". All other Owls are classified in the family known as Strigidae (Pronounced Strig-e-dee), or "True Owls".
Tytonidae owls are very similar wherever they reside throughout the world, although some look very odd. They all have a light colored or white heart-shaped face with large, dark eyes. Strigidae owls have yellow eyes, in most cases, and do not possess the facial disc with only a few exceptions. Tytonidae owls hunt primarily in grassland regions for small, vole-sized rodents, although some are known to hunt seabirds only when no rodents are present.
Tytonidae owls are cavity nesters (and it is good for you to call them Tytonidae owls from now on) which means they prefer to nest in dark places like tree cavities, caves, pipes or barns. In many parts of the world they have chosen to nest in barns and silos, high in a dark corner, and normally where humans wont see them. This is why they are called "barn owls". The reason they do this is because most of their natural nest sites have been destroyed, and barns are usually located near grassy fields where their prey can be found. In the photo below we see an adult male (right) and female (left) at the nest site in a barn.
Tytonidae owls use their acute hearing to locate their prey in total darkness, and do not use their eyesight to capture prey as most people presume. Their normal attack method is to hover over fields of grass, very low, while listening for the movements of rodents below. Each one of their ears can hear a different range of tones, and with this the owl is able to "Triangulate" the exact location of the rodent below, without ever seeing it! This is a complicated topic, and requires some knowledge in math to understand. However, if you know anything about triangulation, and understand that the same principal applies to asymetrical ears, you will quickly understand the laws of the owl. Since each ear is located, on the head, at different locations, the barn owl can receive sounds in its brain at different times. Try covering your left ear and left eye (with a patch) and walk around. Then try covering both eyes without the ear covered and notice that you can actually feel a wall before you run into it. Now, imagine that you had one ear high up and forward, and another low and below, and no eyes. You can make a paper tube that fits over your ears and make one point high and one low, and walk around. This is how a barn owl lives, by its ears. Because each ear is set at different angles on its head, it can direct itself without eyes. In addition, each ear only receives a certain range of audio frequencies. It is like one ear can only hear Country, and the other only Rock! Now, combine the angle aspect with the sound aspect, and you really can't miss. After all, a whispering mouse can't live long without playing a guitar, or singing a duet for his prospective girlfriend! A Barn Owl can locate voles making little noises in the grass while they flutter above, and will take about 6 every night. If they have young to feed they may take more than 20 per night.
Barn Owls lay from 3 to 15 eggs at their nest site, and both adults incubate the eggs. Normally, the male takes prey to the female while she incubates the most. The young hatch about 31 days after the egg was laid, and each egg is laid about 2 or 3 days apart. In a large brood of young, the oldest is the largest, and each sibling is accordingly smaller ranking in age. The older siblings often feed the younger ones, and this is unique to Barn Owls and other Tytonidae owls.
The young usually stay at the nest site for several weeks after they learn to fly, which takes about 9 weeks after they hatch. They eat a lot of rodents during this time, and the older ones can eat 10 rodents a night. This is one reason that they are good to have around farms and other grassland areas. They don't normally learn to hunt on their own until they are about 3 months old, and they leave the nest site once they do.
Barn Owls do not migrate like other birds. They simply wander away from their natal area in random directions. Many die during the first few months of their life from starvation, collision with fences, cars, trucks, and trains, and buildings. Many are killed by other predators, especially the Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) and other Bubo owl species. It is estimated that 80% of the young do not make it to become adults and breed. Because of this, Tytonidae owls sometimes have very large broods, and can have two or three broods a year in warmer regions of the world. Most adults do not live more than 2 years.
The plumage of the Tytonidae owls is designed to act as camouflage while roosting and nesting. A perched Barn Owl is often missed by the farmer because they blend-in so well with the wood in a barn. When roosting in trees they are very difficult to notice, even in broad daylight. The colors on their back look like tree bark.
The Grass Owl is another Tytonidae owl from Africa and surrounding countries. They are nearly identical to other Barn Owls, and are called Grass Owls because they are found in grassland and savannas. There are not a lot of buildings in Africa, but where there are, these birds nest in barns too.
The Masked Owl lives in Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania and New Guinea. The females of this species are large enough to capture rabbits, which makes them a bit unique for Tytonidae owls.
Sooty Owls also live in Australia and surrounding countries. It lives in dense forests, which make it unique as well.
This species is found in Northeastern Australia, in deep hollows in Eucalyptus trees.
For those of you who do not have the skills required, nor the time, or the equipment to build a barn owl box, you can purchase one through the following link. $5.00 from every box sold will go to this project. This is the only commercial box available that actually supports the International Barn Owl Restoration Project. If you purchase one or more of these boxes, please e-mail me and I will provide details on placement designed specifically for your location.
Nest boxes can be built for all species of Tytonidae worldwide. Since they are all cavity nesters, they all enjoy a dark place to roost and breed. Above and below are four different ideas that have proven useful in helping Tytonidae owls regain populations where they are lacking. Even if Barn Owls are abundant where you live, these boxes are better for them than the areas they are currently choosing to nest and roost, such as hay bails. The boxes protect them from predators, are dark and warm, and have enough room to support a normal sized brood. They do not have to be built exactly as shown in the drawings, and anything similar will work just as well. The important thing to remember is that they should be mounted high up and away from human and ground predator reach. I have had a lot of success with the box below mounted to wooden posts in open fields, about 10 feet off the ground. I once visited an area in Nebraska where these boxes were mounted to the base of Fire Look-out Towers about 60 feet above the ground, and owls were nesting in them every year. In Dallas we have 100 boxes erected on buildings, under highway overpasses, and in trees, and 70% are occupied year around. Remember that the more boxes you build and erect, the more likely it is that you will have owls using them. One of my studies mounted 100 boxes in fields scattered all over a large (over 100 square mile) area of Central California ... and 60% were occupied by nesting and roosting Barn Owl by the second year! In Dallas we have a better ratio of occupation.
If you live in an area that does not have places for these owls to perch, try making some perches like that illustrated above. Again, they do not have to be exactly like the one shown.
Q: What is the primary prey item consumed by the Barn Owl?
A: The Barn Owl feeds primarily on the Meadow Vole, but will also prey upon mice, shrews, and rats (see graph below for T.a.pratincola prey). In the graph below, the left graph shows what they consume, while the right is what is available for Barn Owl consumption.
Q: How can I tell the difference between a male and female barn owl?
A: By general observation, you can't. The female weighs only slightly more than the male, but this is not recognizable in the field. When the birds are perched near each other, however, the male will usually have a much lighter plumage around the breast and facial disk. Juveniles in the nest can usually be sexed by the color of the facial disk ... males have more distinct white. This is not always so. Some very dark males and very light females have been observed. The only true way is to discover which bird is sitting on the eggs during the day. The male rarely incubates.
Q: What is the Home-range size for the Barn Owl?
A: A study in New Jersey discovered the average home-range was 1700 acres (2.7 square miles). However, since these birds are not territorial, their home ranges often overlap. Home-range size for other sub-species around the world have not been determined, but very likely encompass the same or similar average size. The illustration below demonstrates the common home range of the North American subspecies.
Q: Based on the home-range, how far should nest boxes be placed apart?
A: Because their home-ranges often overlap, there is no magic placement distance. The more boxes placed within any 1700 acre area, the greater the odds that the owls will find and use them. In California we placed some boxes 100 feet apart, and all were used (10) by the second year after placement.
Q: Where do the owls go to hunt at night?
A: In most cases, these birds travel 1 to 2 miles from the daytime roost site to hunt (see illustration above). They hunt in roadside ditches, grassy fields, meadows, and swampy areas away from buildings. They very rarely hunt rats and mice that live below their roost in barns, silos, or in field erected nest boxes. People who erect Barn Owl nest boxes in barns with hopes that the owls will kill all of their mice are usually very disappointed. Below is an illustration demonstrating preferred habitat types for the North American subspecies. Note that the left is habitat available, and the right is habitat used.
Q: Can rodenticides affect the Barn Owl?
A: Usually not since rodenticides are normally placed around farm buildings, and the birds usually don't hunt near buildings. However, they are very susceptible to pesticides sprayed in the fields of which they hunt. The most dangerous pesticides to the Barn Owl are the Organophosphates.
Q: How many eggs do they lay?
A: Usually 5, but sometimes 10 or more. One pair in southern Texas laid 27 eggs in a nest box, all of which hatched, and all of which fledged!
Q: What is the breeding season for the Barn Owl?
A: The Barn Owl will breed in all months except January (North America). They will often produce two broods per year, and three in the southern sub-tropical regions.
Q: What time of night is the Barn Owl most active?
A: Most hunting is done just after sunset, with a second hunting period about 2 hours before sunrise. When there are young to feed, hunting is constant, all night!
Q: How many voles do these birds consume per night?
A: Each Barn Owl usually consumes 4 to 6 voles or vole-sized rodents per night. This will equal about 1/3 of their total body weight in food consumption per night. This decreases to about 3 per night for adults feeding young. As a result, they loose a lot of weight and become vulnerable while feeding young.
Q: Does the Barn Owl hunt during the day?
A: Very, very rarely. They are a strictly nocturnal species by nature, and those seen in the day have usually been flushed from the roost site, and are not hunting. Those seen hunting during the day are probably starving.
Q: How many voles do the owlets eat each night?
A: For the first two weeks of age they eat from 2 to 4 per night, per owlet. At three to five weeks of age they will consume 5 to 10 per night, per owlet! They will continue to consume about 10 voles per night until they are about ten weeks old, when the parents begin to slow down on the amount of food offered. This encourages the young to leave the nest to search for the parents, drop in weight, and eventually hunt for themselves at about twelve weeks of age.
Q: How does the Barn Owl locate prey?
A: They use their highly developed auditory senses to search for and locate the scurrying movements of voles in the grass. Their ear openings are fixed at counter positions on each side of the head, known as asymmetry. One opening is close to the front and set high, and the other is positioned further to the rear and lower. Both have small flaps faced forward, and aligned with the facial disk. The facial disk helps gather the sound to the flaps and openings. Each ear receives a different auditory frequency. The owl hovers over grassy fields with its head faced down, and listens. The noise created by the voles moving within the grass give off a wide range of auditory frequency, so each ear receives a different range of the spectrum. The position of the ear openings allow the sounds to reach each ear at slightly different times. The brain then calculates the distance of the sound source based entirely on the bi-angulation and frequency timings received by both ears simultaneously. When the location has been determined, the bird drops closer and takes a second reading, then drops upon the prey with its head tilted skyward and its feet spayed very wide. The bird usually lands on the prey with at least one toe touching the prey, and it quickly grasps the prey. If the prey escapes, the bird will sometimes chase the prey on foot, but usually launches back into the air to relocate it. Therefore, although the Barn Owl can see very well in the dark, they rarely use their eyesight in search of prey. Eyesight is used primarily to locate perches and roosting areas.
Q: Does the Barn Owl hoot like other owls?
A: No, not usually. The most common vocalization is called the "Territorial" call which consists of a screech of about 2 seconds duration. In all, there are 17 different recognized Barn Owl vocalizations, but only about 5 are discernable by most people. Another common call is a "Churrrrrrrrrrrrrrrip" which resembles a woman's shriek. At the nest site, the young offer the "Food Begging" call which is a drawn-out hiss that sounds very close to that of a Coleman Lantern (the gas sound). Bill-snapping is also heard when the birds are disturbed at the nest. They also make a wide variety of chirps, chips, peeps, and snores while in the field or at the nest site. Very rarely a Barn Owl will make a quiet hoot, unlike the booming hoot of the Bubonidae owls. For an example of the 2 most common Barn Owl vocalizations, listen to the sound bytes listed at the end of this section.
Q: How can a Barn Owl fly over prey without the prey noticing?
A: They have silent flight. Their flight feathers are specially developed to allow air to pass through without making sound. Most owls of most species have developed silent flight.
Q: Can you describe a "natural" Barn Owl nest site?
A: Most natural nest sites are in rotted cavities in very large and old oak trees, with a cavity depth of about 4 feet. Other natural nest sites include caves and cliff-bank holes of 4 or more feet in depth.
Q: Why do these owls prefer nest boxes to hay bails or ledges?
A: The entrance hole cut in the box appears natural to them, while hay bails and ledges are used out of shear desperation. The dark interior of the nest box is similar to a natural cavity. It is instinctive for the Barn Owl to seek cavities to roost and nest in.
Q: Is there any known purpose for the Golden-brown plumage of the Barn Owl?
A: It is thought, based on fossil finds, that the Barn Owl was originally a tropical bird frequenting open areas near beaches to hunt. Most Barn Owl fossil remains have been found in caves and fossilized cliff-bank holes. Therefore, the golden-brown color may have originally adapted as a cliff-bank or cave camouflage. The light under-plumage helps the bird blend in to the sky when viewed from directly below at night.
Q: Does the Barn Owl migrate?
A: Not really, but they do wander. There is no obvious pattern to wandering movements either. This wandering occurs at about three months of age and can end anywhere from 20 to 1500 miles from the natal area, in a random direction from the nest site. The average wandering ends at about 200 miles from the natal area.
Q: How many juveniles will survive to adulthood?
A: Not many. More than 60% of the fledged young (those that hatched and flew from the nest) die before they find a mate in the first year of life. The average lifespan for adults is 18 months. Of 100 adults, only one will survive to 10 years of age. Any Barn Owl reaching 5 years of age is considered old.
Q: With so many of them dieing every year, how do they maintain their population?
A: By producing large broods and having more than one brood per year.
Q: Can areas with low Barn Owl populations be enhanced through captive breeding efforts?
A: Not likely. Because they wander from the natal area at such great distances, these birds are usually not helped through captive breeding efforts. During the 1980s, Missouri, Iowa and Wisconsin joined together in such an effort, and collectively produced and released more than 1000 of these birds in these States. Only one pair was discovered nesting, post release, in Missouri, while less than 10 were found roosting more than a year after release near any release site. Since all birds were marked and banded, it was learned that most of the released owls moved off several hundred miles, and many met their death soon after release.
Q: What is the common cause of death for the Barn Owl?
A: The Great Horned Owl and other Bubonidae species prey upon the Barn Owl. Secondly, death due to collision with fence lines, power lines, cars, trains, and trucks cause many Barn Owl deaths. Starvation plays a key role, especially in northern latitudes when snow covers the vole habitat areas. Predation by ground predators including skunk, opossum, fox and snakes are very common. Some are even shot by humans. Shooting a Barn Owl is a violation of State and Federal Law.
Q: If captive breeding can't help, what can?
A: Nest boxes. Placing nest boxes in areas where the birds can locate them will encourage the wandering juveniles to remain in these areas. Even where they are not common, the use of these boxes will eventually attract a wandering juvenile who will solicit a mate at that site. In areas where the Barn Owl is common, boxes placed for them will help them produce broods which will eventually wander into low population areas. It should be noted, however, that Barn Owl boxes placed in areas with low vole populations will not likely be effective.
Q: If I have owls in my box, should I look in periodically to count eggs and such?
A: If you do, make sure both adults are not in the box. If you disturb an incubating hen, or a hen with young during the day, she will begin to eat the young. The exact reason for this is not known, but it is fact. If you plan to count eggs or young at a nest site, wait somewhere in a secluded and quiet area within view of the box or nest site until you witness both adults leave the nest for nightly hunting. When eggs are present, the hen will leave for only about 30 minutes, so your visit must be quick. If there are owlets in the box, which will be evident by the food begging calls, both adults will leave to hunt. Make sure both are gone and out of sight. Have a plan developed to reach the nest and make your observation quick. Never attempt to monitor a nest during the day.
Q: What should I do if I find one of the owlets on the ground?
A: Assuming it is alive and vigorous, keep it in a warm place until the night. Wait for the parents to leave the nest, and place the owlet back in with the others. If the hen does not leave, you have no choice but to place the owlet back regardless, although this is risky as mentioned above. If you find an injured fledgling (one that can normally fly), try to place it back in the nest, or call your local Wildlife authorities. At no time can you legally care for an injured owl without a special permit.
Have you ever heard a strange screech at night? Have you ever heard a weird hissing sound in the barn, or in a tree? You may have heard Barn Owls and not even realized it. Below you can click on the sound of your choice, and hear what sounds these birds make. These are the two most common sounds, but there are actually 17 different and distinct Barn Owl vocalizations ... each with a different communication purpose. But, let's not complicate things, and simply listen to what you are most likely to hear.
Barn Owl Calls: Typical Call (57KB) Young (67KB)
Madeira Barn Owl Tyto alba schmitzi: Island of Madeira only. This subspecies is said to be strictly nocturnal, and feeds primarily on insects. It shuns buildings and nests primarily in cliff banks and crevices. However, superstition is still a cause of direct persecution by man. Canary Island Barn Owl Tyto alba gracilirostris: Fuertaventura and Lanzarote in the eastern Canary Islands only. British Barn Owl Tyto alba alba: British Isles, Channel Isles, western and southern France, Iberian Peninsula, southern Alps of Switzerland, Italy south of the southern Alps, Mediterranean countries in Europe and North Africa and associated Islands except Corsica and Sardinia, North Africa from Morocco to Cyrenaica and southwest to the Spanish Sahara and Mauritania. This subspecies is the European Common Barn Owl which nests in barns, silos, outbuildings, church steeples, and otherwise natural cavities in large, old trees and in caves, and cliff banks. Its primary prey item is the meadow vole. Ernest's Barn Owl Tyto alba ernesti: Corsica and Sardinia. This subspecies is very light in color, but its habits are very similar to the British race. German Barn Owl Tyto alba guttata: Southern Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, western Russia, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and the Crimea. Occasionally Britain, Haapasaari Island in southern Finland, Tromsya in northern Norway. This subspecies is a very dark race, and is occasionally found in Great Britain. Its habits are similar to the British race. Cape Verde Barn Owl Tyto alba detorta: Cape Verde Islands, of the coast of West Africa only. African Barn Owl Tyto alba affinis: In Africa from Gambia, southern Sahara and the Sudan to Cape Providence. Introduced to Seychelles Islands in the early 1950's. That introduction turned out to be a disaster as the subspecies was brought in to control rat populations, but instead it began to hunt and feed on the Fairy Tern, one of the island's greatest tourist attractions. West African Barn Owl Tyto alba poensis: Macias Nguema Biyoga Island off the coast of Cameroon, West Africa only. Sao Thome Barn Owl Tyto alba thomensis: Island of Sao Thome in the Gulf of Guinea, West Africa only. Erlanger's Barn Owl Tyto alba erlangeri: Saudi Arabia east to Oman, extending north to Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, north-east to Iran and west into the Sinai peninsula and Cyprus.Madagascar Barn Owl Tyto alba hypermetra: Comoro Islands and Malagasy Republic only. This subspecies differs from the African Barn Owl only by its slightly larger size. Indian Barn Owl Tyto alba stertens: India, Pakistan, Assam, Burma and Sri Lanka. This race is said to nest in deep burrows, not tree cavities. Burmese Barn Owl Tyto alba javanica: Burma, Thailand, Indo-China and all of south-east Asia. De-roepstorff's Barn Owl Tyto alba de-roepstorffi: South Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean only. This subspecies is considered extremely rare. Sumban Barn Owl Tyto alba sumbaensis: Sumba Island in Indonesia only. Savu Barn Owl Tyto alba everetti: Island of Savu in Indonesia only. Kisar Barn Owl Tyto alba kuehni: Kisar Island and probably the Lesser Sudan Chain of Islands from Flores to Timor in Indonesia. This race is considered to be possibly related to the Burmese and Savu Barn Owl, as all three of these are very similar, and these islands were once joined together during the Pleistocene era. New Guinean Barn Owl Tyto alba meeki: South-eastern New Guinea, Vulcan and Dampier Islands. Australian Barn Owl Tyto alba deliculata: Australia, Tasmania, Solomon Islands. This subspecies breeds in hollow trees beside marshes. Boaing Island Barn Owl Tyto alba crassirostris: Boaing Island in the Tanga Group, Bismark Archipelago east of New Guinea. Santa Cruz Barn Owl Tyto alba interposita: Santa Cruz Islands and northern Hebrides off northern Queensland Australia. New Caledonian Barn Owl Tyto alba lulu: New Caledonia, southern New Hebrides, Loyalty, Fiji, Samoa and Society Islands. Common Barn Owl Tyto alba pratincola: North to Central America with stable populations in sub-tropic to tropic regions, and unstable populations north of the 39th parallel west to the Rockies, then fairly stable along the pacific coast to British Columbia. This subspecies will use nearly any substrate available to breed, but prefers dark and well secluded cavities including drainage pipes, man-made caves, cliff bank holes, barns, silos, church steeples, or anything else yielding a dark crevasse. It will lay about 5 eggs normally, but as many as 27 at one nest have been observe, with all juveniles fledging. They are considered by most to be somewhat gregarious as they have been found in nesting groups of up to 50 individuals in only a few square miles. The subspecies is considered rare in the Midwestern United States, and is listed as Endangered in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. It is listed as a "Species of Concern", or as Threatened in Nebraska, North and South Dakota, and Minnesota. The highest and most stable populations for this race exist in California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, and along the east coastal States north to New Jersey, where the population again drops dramatically further north (see distribution map below). In the southern States, this race has been known to raise up to three broods per year. The greatest natural enemy for this race is not man, but the Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) which actively feeds on the Common Barn Owl in North America. Several reintroduction projects have been conducted during the 1980s, with very poor results. However, nest box placement programs have resulted in some marked population increases in areas where this race was once considered uncommon, particularly in Utah where none where known to breed before nest boxes were provided.
Click here to see the Barn Owl Nestbox Cam @ Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu, Israel (Tyto alba erlangeri)
Tyto alba pratincola sub-species distribution
South of Red Line represents moderate to high populations Dark Blue area represents Endangered Status indicated by individual States Light Blue represents Threatened Status indicated by individual States Areas above Red Line not Blue have not officially listed the sub-species
Guatemalan Barn Owl Tyto alba guatemalae: Western Guatemala, San Salvador, western Nicaragua, and Panama. This race shows plumage quite different than the Common Barn Owl race. Bahamian Barn Owl Tyto alba lucayana: Bahama Islands only. This subspecies is similar to the Common Barn Owl race. Cuban Barn Owl Tyto alba furcata: Cuba, Isles of Pines, Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Jamaica. Sub-andean Barn Owl Tyto alba subandeana: Columbia and Ecuador. Columbian Barn Owl Tyto alba contempta: Columbia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. This race is similar to the Sub-andean race, but is the smallest and darkest of all the Tyto alba subspecies. Hellmayr's Barn Owl Tyto alba hellmayri: Guianas south to the Amazon Valley. This race breeds in buildings and is similar to the Common Barn Owl and British Barn Owl races. It takes a wide variety of prey, from insects to gophers. It breeds year-around, and often has two broods during a twelve month period. Brazilian Barn Owl Tyto alba tuidara: Brazil south of the Amazon to Chili and Argentina. Tortugan Barn Owl Tyto alba glaucops: Islands of Tortuga and Hispaniola in West Indies only. Dominican Barn Owl Tyto alba nigrescens: Island of Dominica in the West Indies only. Little is known of this race. It shares high ground habitats with the race below. This is a very dark bird. Insulated Barn Owl Tyto alba insularis: Lesser Antilles, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Bequia, Carriacou, Union and Grenada. Similar to the Dominican race, both in habits and color. Curacao Barn Owl Tyto alba bargei: Island of Curacao only, off the coast of Venezuela. This race is very small in size, and is most similar to the British race. Galapagos Barn Owl Tyto alba punctatissima: Galapagos Archipelago on James Island only. This race is also among the smallest of the Tyto alba subspecies.
Damaraland Grass Owl Tyto capensis: Damaraland, southern Angola, Malawi, Transvaal, Botswana, Natal, Cape Province, Zaire and Kenya. This race inhabits grasslands, and is similar to the Short-eared Owl as it prefers to nest on the ground. It is slightly larger than the Barn Owl. Asian Grass Owl Tyto longimembris: India, south-east China, north and east Australia, south-east New Guinea, the Philippines and Celebes. Similar to the above, but lighter in color. Madagascar Grass Owl Tyto soumagnei: North-east Malagasy Republic only. This race dwells in the forests in the north-east of the Island. Since most of its forest habitat has been eliminated, it is considered rare and Endangered. Celebes Grass Owl Tyto rosenbergii: Island of Celebes only. Minahassa Grass Owl Tyto inexpectata: Northern Celebes Island peninsula only. Masked Owl Tyto novaehollandiae: Tasmania, north-east, east and south Australia, and part of New Guinea. This race inhabits forested regions. The female is a bit larger than the male, thereby allowing it the ability to take larger prey. It is said to be strictly nocturnal. Sooty Owl Tyto tenebricosa: Australia and New Guinea. This race lives in very dense forests. It is the only form of Tyto which lacks all yellow-orange coloring, and has the largest eyes. Lesser Sooty Owl Tyto multipunctata: Northeastern Australia. This species lives in rain forests and nests in Eucalyptus Tree cavities. New Britain Barn Owl Tyto aurantia: New Britain Island east of New Guinea. Although its name indicates otherwise, this is a Grass Owl subspecies.
Common Bay Owl Phodilus badius: Northern India through Indo-China to Malaysia. This is a forest dwelling race. It is similar to the Tyto owls as it nests in cavities, and it's vocalizations during breeding are similar as well. It lays only two to four eggs. African Bay Owl Phodilus prigoginei: Eastern Congo only. This race is known only from a single specimen collected in a mountain forest in the eastern Congo. It is darker, with a more compressed beak and smaller feet than that of the Common Bay Owl.
It is my experience that raptor rehabilitators have a primary goal to care for and reestablish health in the birds they offer care for. The general idea is to offer Veterinary care and exercise to wild raptors and orphaned juveniles with the end result being release back into the wild, and this idea is based on the assumption that the rehabilitated bird will once again be free to breed and produce young. Although such a concept has justification for many raptorial birds, it is very unlikely to be successful with barn owl.
From experience gained during the 1980s and early 1990s at several research sites throughout the country (U.S.), and personally in Iowa and Central California, I've learned that captive released barn owl, either adult or juvenile, usually die within a few days after such release. In Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin we collectively released more than 1000 barn owl from several release sites, and found that only about 20 of these birds were relocated still living 3 months later ... only one pair recorded to have bred in the wild post release. We found most barn owl released, all of which were very healthy, most of which were juvenile, were either killed by Great Horned Owl or by collisions with fence lines or automobiles.
Rehabilitators often release rehabilitated barn owl near forest edges, and many are released during daylight hours. Both of these circumstances promote attack by diurnal raptors. I recently witnessed such a release on T.V. from a facility in McKinney, Texas, which was aired on local Television Stations. Although I understand that camera lighting was probably the primary concern in the latter case, I instantly thought to myself "Here you go, Horned Owls, it's feeding time." As morbid as that may sound, it was probably a conservative version of what really happened. As the program's cameras followed the juvenile barn owls as they wandered around aimlessly near a thick forest edge, all daytime aerial predators watched for the owls to come to them. This scenario is not uncommon. Understanding the needs of the barn owl are important if any such release is to be considered. Further, the moderator told the audience that these juvenile owls were raised in a pen of which live mice were released to acclimate, or train the owls to hunt their natural prey. The fact is, barn owl feed on vole, not mice. Capturing a vole is a skillful art requiring special adaptations that young barn owl can only learn through experience. In any case, I call such a release the "Shock Treatment." Daytime release in a forested area away from voles and after having only known mice as prey, is a radical release and a shock to any nocturnal bird. They simply are not as instinctive as people think.
In Iowa we, too, attempted to acclimate juvenile barn owl to prey by feeding mice, until we realized that a gradual release was more justified than a certain prey acclimation. We began to release juvenile barn owl by allowing a small exit hole for them to locate in time, and slowly disperse. With this method the owls remained near the release site for up to 3 months, but upon leaving the area they died. We found that it really didn't matter what they fed upon in captivity, they were simply outnumbered by the natural elements.
In most cases, wild barn owl dispersing from a nest site will die soon after. This is mainly because suitable nest and roost cavities are not easily located, making the owls vulnerable to the natural world. However, in areas of high nest box concentrations, barn owl flourish. The average mortality rate (percentage of those whom die before adulthood) is from 60% to 80%. The average clutch size is 4 per nest. So, only 2 owls out of two nests will become adults.
Based on these facts, I must submit that rehabilitation release of juvenile barn owl is likely to fail. Compound the stress involved with injured rehabilitated adults owls, and the likelihood of survival lessens. It is my opinion that only a large Hack Station erected in a grassy area, away from forests, and providing a gradual exit design would be anywhere near successful for juvenile barn owl. Since most rehabilitation projects could never afford to build and maintain such a structure, I further submit that releasing rehabilitated and/or orphaned barn owl is nothing more than a kind gesture, with an almost certain fatal outcome. Although it may sound cruel, rehabilitators are probably better off rejecting barn owl for care, keeping the rehabilitated owls for educational use, or euthanising each owl as it arrives at their particular care center.
This note is primarily to bring to attention the laws concerning and governing protection of birds in the U.K., in particular, the Barn Owl (Tyto alba) of which, it appears, some people believe can be legally held in captivity as pets without restriction. My only purpose in bringing this to light is to dispell the myth that is currently generating over the World Wide Web (Internet) around discussions with U.K. residents that indicate the Barn Owl is a common and legal "Pet" in the United Kingdom.
"In Britain, The Wild Birds (Various Species) Order 1966 added the Barn Owl to Part I of the First Schedule of the Protection of Birds Act 1954. Any person guilty of an offence against the species on this list in England and Wales is subject to 'special penalties'. Originally the maximum fine of 25 pounds for each egg, nest, skin or bird and, additionally, a term of imprisonment not exceeding one month for a first offence or three months for a subsequent offence. The Protection of Birds Act 1967 brought in an important addition, namely that anyone 'willfully disturbing' a Schedule I species while it is on or near a nest containing eggs or un-flown young shall also be liable to the above special penalties. The Protection of Birds (Amendment) Act 1976 raised the fine of 25 pounds to 100 pounds and the Criminal Law Act 1977 further raised the fine to 500 pounds in view of the high prices being obtained for rare birds of prey, especially young Peregrines for falconry. The Barn Owl is also included in Schedule IV of the Act, which renders it an offence, subject to a fine of 50 pounds, to sell, exchange, or have for such purpose, any egg, skin or live bird, unless it is close-ringed and bred in captivity."
Although the above quote may be outdated, it is logical to assume that the Protection of Birds Act in the U.K. has likely increased in protection severity. I have not further researched this, however. D. S. Bunn further mentions that (at the time of this writing prior to 1982) these laws have proven difficult to enforce, and he mentions a couple instances where the law proved useless and only one case (of his knowledge) where any real punishment ever took place. This does not mean that these laws are actually "dead' laws ... contrarily, it is more likely that today, due to higher conservation awareness, they are more strict than ever before.
In the United States we have similar laws protecting migratory birds, including Barn Owl. In some States the species is listed as Endangered, and fines are much higher there due to such a status. Even so, some people have Barn Owl "Pets" and have not been discovered, and those who are can expect little to no action taken against them other than having the birds confiscated from their possession. I would imagine the same is true in the U.K., but that is only my guess.
Beyond the legality of possessing Barn Owl as a "Pet", it simply plays no role in the species' conservation to do so. Barn Owl held for breeding and release cannot be considered "Pets". Those held in captivity in order to simply please the eye of the owner can serve absolutely no purpose what-so-ever.
I am interested in learning more about the legalities of captive possession of Barn Owl in the U.K., and welcome any clarification to the above, necessary in order to defend the justification of keeping Barn Owl as a "Pet".
Please let me know if you have any questions about Tytonidae Owls (Barn Owls). You can E-mail me through the link provided below, and I will answer any question you might have. If you are involved in a special project with Barn Owls, tell me about it ... I may be able to make your project more successful than you ever imagined. However, if you are caring for an injured or orphaned Barn Owl, please contact your local Game Warden (911) and have them take it from you for better care. Never try to care for any animal unless you are fully authorized to do so! Federal and State Laws in the U.S. prohibit unauthorized personnel to care for, or offer care to wildlife of which are protected otherwise by State and Federal Law. Permits are required even for simple care of any wild animal, including all birds. The sad aspect of this is that many people make attempts to save the lives of birds, owls, raptors, and orphaned animals ... but usually end up with a dead animal or bird. Please don't let this be you!!!
For those of you interested in discussing raptors with others with the same interests, you are invited to join RAPTORS INTERNATIONAL ... an interactive Club I created in Yahoo.
