What does an owl eat? Barn owl Nutrition and feeding behavior

The barn owl is a member of the barn owl family. Predator, although not very large. People gave her several nicknames, which is reflected in folk art. For example: a screeching or ghostly owl, a night owl, a “bird with a monkey face” and others. Indeed, in the guise of this there is something similar to a primate.

Features and habitat

Scientists ornithologists did not classify barn owls as a specific group, and decided to single out a separate category for them. barn owl- the most common species, and today it lives virtually everywhere except for Antarctica and a number of regions of North America and Canada, as well as in hot Africa.

Despite the fact that this owl is a predator, its characteristics are the most common: length - 25-50cm, body weight - 200-800g. Wingspan - 80-95 cm. Females are larger than males by about 10%. The plumage is soft and fluffy. The upper body and head are usually dark gray or brown, and the entire body is speckled. The facial disc is white in the shape of a heart, which can immediately distinguish the barn owl from other owls. Belly, chest and muzzle - white, often with spots . The bird has a slender body, and dark pink fingers of an owl are crowned with black claws. The eyes are expressive, with an iris.

Since the body of the barn owl not prone to fat accumulation, low temperature is not for them. On the territory of the Russian Federation, barn owl can be found only in the Kaliningrad region. In mountainous regions at high altitudes and in arid African deserts, this owl does not live either. In the twentieth century the bird was specially brought to the Hawaiian, Canary and Seychelles, so now many varieties of barn owl live in this territory.

Most of all, the bird likes open plains with a sparse forest area and many swamps and other bodies of water nearby. Meadows, ravines and wastelands- also attracted in the first place. Often these night hunters settle near human habitations and farmlands, because there is always food here, in particular, small rodents.

The Australian or masked barn owl lives not only in Australia, but also in Tasmania, New South Wales and a number of other territories. Australian barn owls differ from other representatives of the species in their colorful appearance and dimensions: females are considered the largest in comparison with other species.

At present, the black bird is considered the least studied: its activity occurs in the dead of night and it is difficult to observe it. This owl settles mainly in thickets of eucalyptus forests, meadows and edges of New Guinea and eastern Australia.

The barn owl is called the "ghostly owl" because of its ability to abruptly appear in front of an unsuspecting person without the slightest sound. It is believed that the bird earned its name for a somewhat hoarse voice that can scare a traveler lost in the forest.

In addition to the ability to silently fly, the barn owl has developed vision and hearing, so it can perfectly navigate at night. In the daytime, the bird is in a hollow, on the roof, in another shelter. This owl prefers a solitary lifestyle, but in places rich in food, there are small clusters of birds.

Barn owl often circles its territory while changing height frequently. Seeing an intruder, she begins to move menacingly to intimidate him. Flapping its wings, the owl is able to attack the visitor with strong paws or a beak, which it snaps menacingly when attacked.

In the immediate vicinity of a person, a barn owl usually builds a nest in an attic, in a barn or in an outbuilding, but in the wild this predator can easily occupy someone else's nest or hole.

Nutrition

The predator usually hunts late at night. Being on the hunt, it flies low enough above the ground, looking for prey.

Its main food is small rodents.:

moles;
hamsters;
rats,
opossums;
mice-voles;
others.

But the diet varies depending on the region where the bird lives.. So, she can feast:

birds (even birds of prey);
frogs;
bats;
reptiles;
some invertebrates.

Barn owl is not the best pet. Firstly, the owl body is arranged in such a way that they need to eat at least three fresh rodents daily, so if you decide to shelter a barn owl, take note of this.

Secondly, the barn owl is nocturnal, which means that it is suitable as a pet only for people who prefer to stay awake at night.

Reproduction and lifespan

The breeding season lasts the first two months of spring. The male seeks out a place for the future nest. The nest must be hidden from the eyes of a person and other potential ill-wishers.

Usually, barn owl nests wind at a respectful height from the ground. For one laying, the female gives 4-7 eggs, from which the chicks hatch in a month. After 1.5 months, the chicks become stronger and begin an independent life. About ¾ of young animals die in the first year of life, those who are more fortunate can live up to 11 years. Sometimes, even in captivity, barn owls lived to be several decades old.

During the nesting period of the barn owl make more sounds - shrill or hoarsely hoot and scream. Outside of the breeding season, birds are usually silent. To make noise, birds can flap their wings or snap their beaks.

conservation status

The bird is not considered an endangered species. However, a serious danger to this bird lies in the reduction in the number of usual nesting sites.

In Eastern Europe, for the last decades, it is not clear why, the number of barn owls has been catastrophically reduced. Representatives of the species are almost never found in Belarus and the Baltic countries, rarely catch the eye in Moldova and Ukraine.

The barn owl is listed in the Red Books of several Eastern European countries.

Benefits for a person

Owls often choose attics, outbuildings, ruins, bell towers. In English, the barn owl is called "barn owl", i.e. "barn owl". In cities, barn owls prey on mice and rats, since there is no shortage of these rodents in large settlements, our predator also has no shortage of food. In addition, the "urban" birds have perfectly learned to catch bats and nocturnal insects by the light of lanterns.

Barn owls and other owls have always been treated by people with superstitious fear, like other owls, they were considered a symbol of wisdom. Today superstitions are a thing of the past and people feel sympathy for this bird, because it fights rodents.

Barn owls are the most ancient branch of owls, as evidenced by fossils. Now they have been preserved only in the form of a small relic group.

Systematics

Russian name - ordinarybarn owl
Latin name - Tyto alba
English name - Barn owl
Bird class - Aves
Order - owls (Strigiformes)
Family - barn owls (Tytonidae)
Genus - barn owls (Tyto)

Barn owls are the most ancient branch of the owl order, as evidenced by the richness of fossil forms. Now they are preserved only in the form of a small relic group.

Conservation status of the species

The barn owl is not among the endangered species, but the reduction in its usual nesting sites is a serious danger to it. In the East of Europe in recent decades, for unknown reasons, there has been a catastrophic decline in the number of barn owls. The species has almost disappeared from the Baltic countries and Belarus, has become rare in Ukraine and Moldova. Now the barn owl is listed in the Red Books of a number of Eastern European countries.

View and person

Barn owls often gravitate towards human dwellings, settling in attics, outbuildings, ruins, churches, and belfries. It is not for nothing that in English “barn owl” is translated as “barn owl”. In cities where there are always a lot of rats and mice, barn owls always easily find food for themselves. And besides, the "urban" barn owls have learned to hunt nocturnal insects and bats by the light of lanterns.

Like other types of owls, people have always treated barn owls with superstitious fear, especially since they were most often met near their homes. And just like other owls, barn owls were a symbol of wisdom. Now superstitions about owls, fortunately, are a thing of the past, and people treat these birds with obvious sympathy. And the role of barn owls in the fight against urban rodents is obvious and not disputed by anyone.

Distribution and habitats

The barn owl is one of the most common birds in the world. It is found on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica, and on many islands, including remote ones. However, the barn owl does not tolerate the cold northern climate, so it is not found in the northern regions of Canada and Northern Europe. Barn owl has been successfully introduced (settled) on many remote islands: Hawaiian, Seychelles, New Zealand. However, the introduction of the barn owl to the Seychelles in 1949 showed how fragile the natural balance is and how easy it is to break. The fact is that the barn owl in the Seychelles began to hunt not only rats, but also the endemic Seychelles kestrel, whose numbers began to decline sharply.

More than 30 subspecies of barn owls are distinguished on the territory of a vast range.

In our country, barn owl is found only in the Kaliningrad region.

The barn owl lives in a variety of biotopes, avoiding only dense forests. This is one of the few bird species that benefited from human economic activity in deforestation and agricultural development, as this expanded the food base and made it possible to spread very widely. The barn owl willingly settles next to a person's housing.

Appearance and morphology

Barn owl is a slender owl with long legs. It is this somewhat “elongated” upward shape that barn owls differ from all other owls. The body length is 33–39 cm, the wingspan is 80–95 cm, and the average weight is 300–400 g. The plumage is very soft and fluffy. The upper part of the body is usually buffy-red, with transverse gray streaks and numerous small dark stripes and speckles. The bottom is golden-red with a rare dark speck. The facial disc is white and heart-shaped, which also immediately distinguishes the barn owl from other owls.

Males and females almost do not differ from each other in color.

Feeding and feeding behavior

The barn owl's diet is based on various mouse-like rodents and shrews. However, she also catches birds, including birds of prey, and bats, and frogs, and insects. During the hunt, an owl either flies around its possessions, constantly changing height - up and down, or waits for a prey from an ambush. The flight of barn owls is soft and silent, since the wings are designed so that the ends of the flight feathers dampen the sound of flight.

Barn owls kill their prey with their claws, and then, stepping on it with their long foot, they tear it apart with their beak. Their neck is so mobile that they can eat almost without bending over their prey. When eating, the feathers of the owl's facial disc move all the time when opening and closing its mouth, so it seems that barn owls constantly grimace while eating.

Vocalization

The barn owl's voice - a special hoarse "heee" - was the origin of the Russian name for the bird. In general, barn owls are the most "talkative" during the nesting period. At this time, they hoarsely or shrillly scream and hoot. Barn owls are usually silent outside the breeding season. In addition to vocal sounds, they sometimes click their beaks or flap their wings defiantly.

Lifestyle and social structure

Barn owls lead a solitary lifestyle, but in places rich in prey, they can stay in small groups. This is one of the most "nocturnal" owls. Barn owls sleep during the day, and for the night they choose some natural or artificial niche: a hollow, a hole or an old attic in the house. They live, as a rule, settled, but in the absence of prey (“not mouse years”), they can migrate to a new place.

When meeting a violator of its territorial possessions, the barn owl spreads its wings and waves them, approaching the enemy closely. At this time, the owl hisses loudly and clicks its beak. The posture of threat, such as that of other owls, is absent in barn owls. Instead, it spreads its wings in a horizontal plane and lies flat on the ground with its plumage tightly pressed. If such a display does not help, the barn owl may attack the enemy, falling on his back and striking with clawed feet.

When a person approaches, barn owls usually rise high on their long legs and gently sway, while actively moving the feathers of the facial disc, “grimacing”, and then fly away
The sight of barn owls is very well developed, they see perfectly both in the dark and in bright light.

Hearing, like all other owls, is also well developed. The ears are located on the sides of the head asymmetrically, the left one is higher, the right one is lower. This structure of the hearing aid helps birds to hear the sounds made by potential victims from different angles. Short thick feathers framing the faceplate are good sound reflectors. Barn owls are very susceptible to all sound signals, and in case of too loud sound, they cover their ear holes with peculiar plugs covered with small feathers.

Reproduction and parenting behavior

Since barn owls live in different climatic conditions, they also have a breeding season at different times. In the tropics, there is no seasonality of breeding at all; in temperate latitudes, owls start breeding in March-April.

Barn owls are monogamous, but sometimes there are cases of polygamy (1 male and several females). They nest in separate pairs, in natural conditions - in hollows, burrows, nests of other birds; barn owls do not build their own nests. In the anthropogenic landscape, they nest in attics, on bell towers, in barns. Nests are located at different heights, but usually not higher than 20 m above the ground.

With the onset of the mating season, the male flies around the tree chosen for the nest, making sharp hoarse sounds to attract the attention of the female. Then he starts chasing the female, and during the chase, both birds already scream hoarsely together. After mating, the female lays 4–8 (in "mouse years" up to 16) rather small oblong eggs (other owls have round eggs), white or cream in color. Eggs are laid at intervals of 1 or 2 days. The incubation period lasts 29–34 days, only the female incubates, and the male feeds her all this time. The hatched chicks are covered with thick white fluff and are completely helpless. Their parents take turns bringing them food. After 35–45 days, the chicks leave the nest, and at the age of 50–55 days they begin to fly. They become completely independent at the age of 3 months, and then scatter. The last week of life with their parents, the young hunt with them, adopting the hunting experience of the elders. Barn owls are characterized by a very large radius of flight of young ones - hundreds and even thousands of kilometers.

In "mouse years", barn owls, even in temperate latitudes, can have 2 successful clutches per season.

The young can start breeding as early as 10 months of age.

Lifespan

According to ringing, barn owls can live in nature up to 18 years, but their average life expectancy is much less - about 2 years. However, there are also "champion" results: in North America, the barn owl lived in captivity for 11 years and 6 months; in Holland, a barn owl lived in nature up to 17 years and the record holder is a barn owl from England, who lived in captivity for 22 years.

Keeping animals in the Moscow Zoo

In our zoo, barn owls live in the Night World pavilion, which, of course, is optimal for this species. Now there are 5 birds. At the exposition, you can always see 1 pair, the rest “rest” in a non-exhibition room, the birds are changed once a year. Most barn owls are sourced from nature. One pair of barn owls breeds regularly, they already had 4 broods. They incubate the clutch and feed the chicks themselves.

The diet of the barn owl in the zoo consists of 6 mice daily.

The barn owl is a rather unusual animal among its kind. In addition, this owl belongs to one of the most ancient species of owls.

According to the scientific classification, the species of barn owl comes from the barn owl family and the genus barn owl. Due to its external features and lifestyle, this owl is also called the night owl, ghost owl. The main features that distinguish the barn owl from its relatives are the shape of the head and the unusual voice peculiar only to this species, which became the reason for another nickname - the screeching owl. Thus, it can be assumed that in ancient times this owl was credited with some magical properties and a mystical character, including because of its unusual expressive eyes. The beauty of this bird is undeniable, so it is not surprising that many - both amateurs and professionals - simply dream of capturing a beautiful owl in a photo.

Camouflage coloration of barn owl.

Appearance

The barn owl differs from other owls in the shape of the facial disc, which resembles a heart and a white mask at the same time. Due to the special expression of this mask, the barn owl is also called the "monkey-faced owl".

Feather color is mostly white with reddish tinges. The thickness of the plumage allows these owls to live in cold areas. The body size of an owl is about 40 centimeters, the wingspan is almost a meter. The weight of the barn owl ranges from 200 to 700 grams.

The upper part of the owl's body is darker, there is much more of a reddish hue here, and white or yellowish color prevails below. The facial disc is white in color and noticeably flattened in shape. Borders the "face" of an owl with a circle of feathers of an ocher shade. The wings are predominantly white, but may also have a dark streaked pattern. The barn owl's eyes are quite large, bright and very expressive. The iris is mostly black or dark in color. The body of the barn owl is elongated and slender with long paws covered with dense plumage. Her tail is very short. The beak is yellow-white in color. In general, we can say that the color of the lower part of the body depends mainly on its habitat. Outwardly, females differ little from males, but the former are slightly darker. Chicks also almost do not differ from adults, with the exception of a more variegated color. Thus, the barn owl has a rather bright, memorable appearance, which can be seen by looking at the photo of the barn owl.

Beautiful barn owl.

Barn owl: front view of an owl.

Beautiful photo of barn owl.

Barn owl on the hunt.

area

Barn owl is distributed on almost all continents. The only place on the planet where you cannot see it is Antarctica. For our country, the barn owl is a rarity, and you can meet this owl only in the Kaliningrad region. Barn owl is also quite rare in neighboring countries and in the Baltic states. It does not live in the mountains, as well as in the northern regions. Also, the bird does not tolerate extreme heat, and therefore cannot live in deserts. Thanks to man, the owl has become artificially distributed on the islands of New Zealand, the Seychelles and Hawaii. Barn owls prefer to equip their dwelling in open spaces, in swamps and in grassy areas.

Barn owl is looking for prey.

Barn owl soars in the air.

Photo of barn owl.

Barn owl in flight.

Barn owl among wild flowers.

Barn owl in flight.

reproduction

Basically, barn owls have one pair during their life, less often several. Egg laying occurs once or twice a year. The male chooses the location for the nest. A nest is not built separately, but the most suitable recess in a tree or another dark place is selected. During that period, while the female incubates offspring, the male takes care of her food. In time, this lasts approximately one month. Usually, the number of incubated eggs is from 4 to 7 units. Young owls begin an independent life two months after birth.

What is the life expectancy?

In the wild, barn owls can live a maximum of 18 years, while the average is extremely small - only two years.

The barn owl is well known to residents of Western European countries, however, little is known about it in Russia. This is the most ancient branch of the owl order. Its Latin name sounds like Tyto alba, and English - Barn owl. The people called her a night owl, a ghostly and screeching owl. Its distinguishing features are a peculiar voice and the shape of the head. Who is this barn owl, and what kind of life does she lead? Let's talk in more detail in this article about one of the most common owls in the world.

Barn owl: description

The name of this one, apparently, came from the peculiarity of her voice, reminiscent of a kind of snoring or vulture. It differs from other representatives of owls in the shape of the facial disk in the form of a heart, while it seems that it is wearing a white mask. The small bird has a light color and a peculiar face. It is about the same size as a long-eared owl or jackdaw. It reaches 33-39 cm in length, its body weight is 300-355 g, and its wingspan is about 90 cm. By the way, its weight can vary widely and depends individually on a particular individual. It can be either 180 g or 700 g.

In the upper part, its color has acquired a sandy (red) color with white and dark speckles. The barn owl is white in the lower part (rarely yellow), in addition, dark blotches are present in the plumage. The facial disc is light and has a flattened appearance, it also received an ocher border, under the eyes there is a small area of red feathers. Wings - fawn-white, with a golden-striated pattern. - dark brown or black. Her eyes are expressive and large. It has a slender physique, and it also has long paws, which have thick and fluffy plumage to the fingers. She has a short tail. The beak is yellowish white. By the way, the color of the lower part depends on the habitat of the barn owl. For example, in North Africa, Western and Southern Europe, in the Middle East it is white, but in the rest of Europe it is yellow-orange.

By gender, outwardly, they practically do not differ from each other. The females are slightly darker, but this is not very noticeable. Young chicks also do not differ from adults, sometimes they are more colorful.

As we have noticed, such a bird as a barn owl has a very memorable appearance, the photo clearly demonstrates this to us.

Habitat

There are 35 subspecies of the barn owl, which are distributed on all continents, excluding only Antarctica, and they are also found on the islands. Previously, it could be found in the Baltic States and other CIS countries: now it lives there in small numbers. On the territory of Russia, it is found only in the Kaliningrad region. In the European part, it is absent in the northern regions and mountain systems.

On the one hand, the barn owl is adapted to various geographical conditions, as it is distributed almost everywhere, and on the other hand, it does not have the ability to accumulate fat reserves in itself, therefore it does not tolerate a harsh climate. In the northern regions of the United States and in most of Canada, in Northern Europe and almost throughout Russia, for this reason, it is not. The bird cannot also live in the African and Asian deserts.

There were cases when the barn owl was artificially populated by humans in areas where it had never been. Thus, she appeared in the Seychelles and Hawaiian Islands, in New Zealand. After the barn owl was settled in the Seychelles, the kestrel population began to decline, on which it fed.

Favorite places to stay

Barn owl almost always settles near human dwellings. It breeds both in large cities and in rural areas. He likes to settle in attics, in hollows and wall niches. Prefers rooftops and abandoned buildings. The barn owl is most often found in open plains where there are few trees. These can be places such as woodlands, swamps, dense meadows, and the bird also lives along wastelands, reservoirs, ravines and highways.

It can often be found where agricultural farms and human habitations are located. Barn owl tries to avoid dense forests and high mountainous places. For this bird, the following conditions are necessary for distribution: the availability of food, the absence of cold winters and weak competition with other predators. Basically, they do not change their habitat, the exceptions are situations when the food supply in their habitat is depleted.

What does he eat?

Her favorite food is mouse-like rodents, she can also cope with pasyuki (large She can catch up to 15 mice per night. Rarely eats small birds, in particular sparrows, as well as large and amphibious insects. Rats can be used as food , voles, hamsters, shrews, opossums.They can also catch bats, frogs, reptiles and invertebrates.The owl grabs the victim right on the fly, clamps it with its tenacious claws and carries it to a place where it can safely feast on it.

The peculiarities of the location of the hearing aid allow the bird to capture all the sounds that the victim makes, which helps her a lot when hunting. Her ears have an asymmetrical arrangement: one of them is at the level of the nostrils, and the other is in the forehead.

Barn owl's characteristic voice

She makes a hoarse whistling noise. Barn owls defiantly flap their wings and click their beaks. By the way, this feature of them can involuntarily terrify people who decide to relax in the silence of the forest and meet with her. Many sounds made by this owl have been noted, but still the hoarse screeching trill that can be heard during its flight is still the predominant one. The call of a female barn owl is lower in tone.

By the way, she got her Russian for a low, rattling, hoarse cry that sounds like “heee”. They emit it more often than the usual owl hoot. Her peculiar hoarse voice resembles a hoarse cough.

nocturnal lifestyle

She flies out to hunt in the late twilight and is strictly nocturnal. As a rule, they live alone, but can be found in small groups in areas where game accumulates. Since barn owls lead at night, they sleep during the day. For sleep, they choose some kind of niche, natural or artificial - it can be a hole in the ground or an unused attic.

During the hunt, they change height - they either rise up, then descend again, flying around the possessions. They can also wait for the victim, hiding in ambush. Their wings are designed in such a way that their flight is as silent and soft as possible, in addition, they have excellent vision and hearing. By the way, in some regions barn owls hunt during the day, for example, in Britain, but at this time of day there is a danger for them in the form of birds of prey, such as gulls.

The barn owl kills its prey with its claws, then steps on it with a long leg and tears it with its beak. It has a very mobile neck, thanks to which it can eat prey without bending over. During the meal, the feathers of the facial disc move, and it seems that the owls grimace.

reproduction

The barn owl is usually monogamous, but cases of polygamy are also not excluded. In a year there is one, less often two clutches. The beginning of the breeding season depends, as a rule, on the climatic conditions of the habitats and the amount of food. In warmer regions and where there is plenty of food, they can breed at any time of the year. For example, in the temperate zone of Europe or North America, this begins in March-June. If there is a re-laying, then the hatching of the chicks will take place in the period March-May and June-August.

The male himself chooses the place where the nest will be, and then begins to call the female. As such, the nest is not built; a closed and dark place is chosen for this. This may be a recess in an old stump, a tree hollow and other niches. The female is engaged in incubating the eggs, while the male brings her food. The conditional nest is located at a height of 2-20 meters above the ground, the clutch size is usually 4-7 eggs, but can be from 2 to 14. There are more of them, as a rule, during periods characterized by an abundance of food. The size of the eggs, which are white or cream in color, averages 30-35 mm.

During the breeding season, birds make various sounds. They scream shrillly and hoarsely, hoot and sniff, making a characteristic “heee” sound. The rest of the time, as a rule, owls are silent. The female incubates the eggs for about a month. Juveniles fly out of the nest on the 50-55th day of life.

By the way, a pair of owls remains together until the death of one of the partners. The female and male live close to each other, but one by one.

Behavior in times of danger

In a calm state, a sitting barn owl holds its body straight, and if the bird is worried, it assumes a threatening posture - it spreads its paws, spreads its wings in a horizontal plane and clings to the ground. When she meets the violator of her territorial possessions, she actively flaps her wings, coming closer and closer to the enemy. Hissing loudly and snapping its beak. If this does not help, then she attacks the enemy, falling on his back and striking with her clawed paws.

Barn owl chicks

The hatched chicks are completely dependent on their parents, who take turns feeding them. At birth, they are covered with thick white down. In the event that it is very cold, the barn owl does not leave the nest at all and warms the chicks, which become completely independent after three months. Grown up chicks fly away to new places and find another territory for living and reproduction. A barn owl can have even 10 chicks at a time, if conditions allow, but in a hungry year, as a rule, no more than 4 eggs are expected.

It is noted that the behavior of their chicks is atypical for birds: they show altruism, refusing food in favor of those who are more hungry than they are. Compared to most other birds, in which the cubs literally tear food from each other in order to eat themselves, this fact is of great interest to such a bird as the barn owl. A photo of her chicks shows how they look when they are born.

Parents show care even after their chicks fly out of the nest: they continue to care for them and feed them until they become completely independent, that is, they reach the age of three months.

people attitude

The barn owl has always been a symbol of wisdom among people, but at the same time they treated this bird with superstitious fear. Now superstitions are becoming a thing of the past, and a person is increasingly showing genuine interest in her. Barn owls instilled fear in people because of some of their features: a white face resembling a mask, frightening sounds, and also because of the habit of this bird to silently fly up and appear sharply in front of a person, for which people called it a ghostly owl.

The barn owl mainly feeds on rodents, thereby benefiting humans. People have long appreciated the help of these owls in the destruction of pests. So, in the 17th century, such a practice spread when special windows were made in houses, barns, mills and other buildings through which barn owls could penetrate and destroy rodents. Thus, the birds remained full, and benefits were brought to man.

If they notice a number of people, they begin to behave very interestingly: they rise high, sway on their feet in different directions and at the same time depict various grimaces. If you get very close to her, then she, as a rule, flies away.

How long does a barn owl live?

Under natural conditions, barn owls can live up to 18 years, but this is the maximum figure. In fact, it turns out that they basically live very little - their average life expectancy is about 2 years. Cases have been recorded when a barn owl was able to live in natural conditions up to 17 years, in North America a bird in captivity died at the age of 11.5 years, but in England a record was broken - the bird lived in captivity for 22 years.

We talked about such an interesting bird as the barn owl, about what habits it has and how it is useful for humans. Unfortunately, due to changes in the environment and the use of pesticides in various parts of Europe, the number of barn owls is declining. It is also not uncommon for birds to die from collisions with cars on the roads. Currently, the barn owl is a bird that is listed in the Red Books of a number of countries in Eastern Europe, where, for unknown reasons, in recent decades there has been a rapid decrease in its numbers.

The barn owl is an unusual species of owl found on all continents except Antarctica; however, in our country its range is limited only to the Kaliningrad region.

Habitat

Barn owls prefer open spaces, namely: meadows with tall grass, swamps and ravines, banks of water bodies and light forests. Avoids mountainous areas and dense forests.

Appearance

The barn owl is a relatively large bird, reaching 40 centimeters in size, its wingspan is slightly less than a meter. Bird weight 200 - 700 grams, mostly about 500 grams.

The color of the barn owl is white-red, with darker specks and stripes. The plumage of this bird is very dense, thanks to which it can live in the northern, rather cold regions.

barn owl bird photo

A striking feature that distinguishes the barn owl from other birds is that it is as if a white “mask” was put on its muzzle. The expression of this "mask" is such that some researchers have nicknamed the barn owl "the owl with the face of a monkey." The common names of the barn owl are also known:

Midnighter;
Ghost Owl;
Screeching owl.

barn owl in all its glory photo

These nicknames show that the barn owl was associated with something mystical in the old days. An eerie sensation is caused by the eyes of this owl, large and expressive.

Nutrition and lifestyle

Leads a solitary lifestyle, active at night. Like all owls, the barn owl is a predator. The basis of its diet is made up of small rodents - mice, voles, rats, gerbils, etc. Some certain types of edible animals predominate in a particular region. If necessary, the barn owl catches frogs, bats, lizards and invertebrates.

barn owl in flight photo

She flies out to hunt in the dark, and during the day she sleeps in a cozy nest, which is a hollow, burrow, attic or other suitable place. The barn owl does not build nests as such. Sometimes it occupies empty nests of other birds. Silent flight and extremely acute hearing help the barn owl to navigate the terrain and hunt.

barn owl hunting photo

The bird's eyesight is also strong, thanks to which it sees well in the dark. The barn owl grabs its prey on the fly with sharp claws and takes it somewhere to a convenient place where you can safely eat it.

reproduction

A place for a "family nest" is usually looking for a male. Usually this is a hollow, rotten stump or old nests of birds of prey. Having found one, he calls the female with a loud voice. After the formation of a family, she lays 4 - 6 eggs, and incubates them for a little over a month. All this time the male brings her food.

barn owl chicks photo

The chicks hatch covered in soft white down. The male and female feed their babies. They stay with their parents for another three months. They fledge at the age of 50 days, then fly away and look for a new place of residence.

Comparison with monkeys is explained not only by the appearance of the bird. When a barn owl sees an approaching person, it rises higher, stands on long legs and sways left and right on them, depicting various grimaces. So she tries to scare the uninvited guest. Why not a monkey? If a person gets too close, the barn owl usually flies away.
The habit of the barn owl is known - it silently approaches a person from behind and suddenly appears right in front of him. At this point, anyone will be frightened, especially if the meeting took place at dusk. knows how to click its beak loudly. All this only enhances the feeling of horror in an unprepared observer.

Lifespan

In the wild, the barn owl lives for about 2 years.

Class - Birds
Order - Owls
Family - barn owls
Genus - barn owls
View - barn owl

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