Thanet Earth Nature Watch
Barn Owl
Scientific name: Tyto alba
Bird family: Owls
UK conservation status: Green
Protected by: The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
Length: 33-39cm
Wingspan: 80-95cm
Weight: 250-350g
Eats: Mice, voles, shrews, larger mammals and small birds.
The Barn Owl has a heart-shaped face, buff back and wings and pure white underparts, the barn owl is a distinctive and much-loved countryside bird. Widely distributed across the UK, and indeed the world, this bird has suffered declines through the 20th century and is thought to have been adversely affected by pesticides such as DDT in the 1950s and ’60s.
Barn Owls prefer a mixed farming habitat with spinneys, ditches, rough pastures and well-managed field margins. Grassland makes good hunting ground, along with hay meadows. They are often found around farm buildings, barns and the edge of villages. A breeding pair of barn owls needs around 1.5 ha of rough grass.
Prey is normally swallowed whole, with indigestible parts (fur, bones, teeth, feathers etc) regurgitated in large, smooth, blackish pellets, which accumulate at traditional nesting and roosting sites. Barn owls often hunt from exposed perches (eg fence-posts), but also in low flight. They have exceptional hearing and can find prey by sound alone.
Barn Owls will breed from April to August, and a second brood may be reared when food sources are high. A breeding pair will use the same nest site year after year if undisturbed. The female lays four to seven white eggs in an unlined hole of a tree or barn. They will nest in good owl boxes that are a sufficient size, in a good location and draught-free.
Recent sightings from the car park early in the morning prompted the Barn Owl to be our December bird of the month.