Barn Owl

 
Scientific name:  Tyto alba
Family Name:  Tytonidae
Are they endangered?  No, they are not endangered.  (IUCN Redlist: Least Concern)

What are their past/present problems?  Man endangers the Barn Owl by building houses on farm fields and open areas.  Farmers put chemicals on the land to kill weeds and rodents (MICE!) that destroy their crops.  Also, when farms get sold for people to build homes on them, barns and other farm buildings that Barn Owls live in are destroyed.  Lots of times the birds chase a MOUSE onto a road and then get run over by cars.
What do they look like?  These owls have a heart-shaped face and long legs.  Their face and bellies are white and their backs are light, reddish-brown.

How big are they?  They are 14-20 inches long and if they spread their wings out flat, they would be about 3 ˝ feet wide.

How many eggs do they lay?  Barn Owls lay from 2 to12 whitish eggs each time they lay eggs.  They might lay eggs from one to three times a year.   This is different from raptors that usually lay only once a year.  The eggs hatch in about a month.

How long do the fledglings stay in the nest?  These birds pretty much nest anywhere:  in tree holes, buildings, nest boxes, mines, caves or barns.  The nests are usually made of things they find laying around.  Young birds (fledglings) stay in the nest for about two months.

When do they hunt?  They hunt at night (nocturnal)

What do they eat?  They eat small mammals like MICE and small birds.

Where do they live?  They live all over the world.  Some places are the United States, Europe, Central America, and South America.

What kind of place do they like to live in?  Barn Owls like open areas and fields.

Interesting facts:

Even when it’s totally dark, Barn Owls can still hear and catch prey.

You can tell where a Barn Owl is nesting by the owl pellets on the ground under it.

Works Cited:

Alderfer, Jonathan.  Complete Birds of North America.  Washington, D.C.:  National Geographic, 2006.

Alsop, Fred.  Birds of North America.  New York:  DK Publishing, 2001.

Barn owl.  4 Oct. 2007.  <http://www.peregrinefund.org/Explore_Raptors/owls/barnowl.html>.

Berg, Christian.  “Decline of barn owls prompts conservation discussion: Once-common birds disappearing as their habitat grows smaller.”  The Morning Call.  02 May 2006.

Druzin, Heath.  “Barn owls are dying at an alarming rate: Up to 2500 birds have died along the I-84, possibly a sign of an environmental problem.”  The Idaho Statesman.  22 July 2006.

Schmoker, Bill.  “Re: Owl pictures (etc.).”   [Barn Owl in crevice]   E-mail to Club Web.  2 Nov. 2007. 

Tyto alba.  10 Dec. 2007.  <http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/48495/all>.