Barn owl: photo of an owl. Barn owl breeding - barn owl photo The lifestyle of the barn owl, and its diet
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 some magical properties and a mystical character were attributed to this owl, 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 in flight. 
Barn owl among wildflowers. 
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 belongs to the order Owls and forms a separate genus. The most common type is called barn owl. The bird is a real predator with long legs, wings and a body length of 25-50 cm. The weight ranges from 200 to 800 grams. Females are larger and weigh 10% more. The habitat extends to North and South America, Africa, Europe, Australia. In Asia, the bird lives on the Arabian Peninsula, in India and the southeastern regions of the continent. In China, Mongolia, Japan and Korea, this population is not found.
The plumage is soft and fluffy. The head and upper body are light brown or dark gray. The general background is diluted with dark specks. The chest and belly are white and have many dark small spots. There are birds with a pale yellow belly. The muzzle is white. Reddish feathers are observed under the eyes. The iris is black-brown. The nails are black, the toes are dark pink. The beak is pale yellow. Externally, males and females are similar to each other. The owl and the barn owl differ in the shape and color of the facial disc. In the latter, it has a heart-shaped shape.
Reproduction and lifespan
The breeding season in temperate zones is in March and early April. If food is plentiful, then there are two broods a year. The place for the nest is determined by the male. It should be dark and hidden from prying eyes. Birds, as a rule, use caves, abandoned mines, tree hollows, holes in a steep bank. The nest is arranged as high as possible above the ground. In laying from 4 to 7 eggs. The incubation period lasts a month. The female incubates and the male brings food.
Hatched chicks sit in the nest for a month and a half. On the wing become 50 days after birth. They leave their parents and become independent at 3 months. In the first year of life, about 70% of all young birds die. Every year this figure decreases. Most barn owls live up to 11 years. In captivity, under favorable conditions, they can live 25-30 years.
Behavior and nutrition
While hunting, the bird flies low above the ground. Sometimes hovering over places where potential prey might be hiding. Often sits in ambush. The flight is silent. Prefers to hunt at night. During the day, he usually sleeps in a sheltered and dark place. Outside of the nesting period, it lives alone. Feeds on rodents. One barn owl eats several rodents per day. A bird of prey needs more than 1,000 rodents per year.
Small prey is torn apart and eaten along with bones and hair. A large victim weighing 100 grams or more is dismembered. The inedible parts are discarded. Birds make up to 20% of the diet. Termites, grasshoppers, crickets, bats and toads are also eaten. The bird's hearing is perfect due to the asymmetric arrangement of the ears, the eyesight is sharp. The location of the victim with amazing accuracy is determined both under the snow and in thick grass. An owl differs from a barn owl in a lower metabolic rate. Therefore, the latter needs more food at the same weight. Accordingly, rodents are exterminated mercilessly. This population leads a sedentary lifestyle. Only during the period of starvation do birds change their habitual habitat.
Enemies
The main damage to barn owls is caused by owls, eagles and hawks. Terrestrial predators, snakes and wild cats attack. But the main danger comes from people who distribute various chemicals to protect their crops. In Europe, there are about 300 thousand of these birds. In the United States, in 7 states, this population is classified as endangered. In general, the birds are quite numerous. They outnumber owls.
The barn owl is an owl with an unusual appearance. If you don't believe me, look at her face! A white mask was put on the bird's head. What is hidden under it?
In the scientific world, this owl is called tyto alba. Where does the barn owl live?
It can be found on all continents of the Earth, except for Antarctica, because even birds with such plumage as an owl's will not be able to endure the harsh cold of the glacial continent. In our country, these owls can only be seen in the Kaliningrad region.
Some scientists call the barn owl a monkey-faced owl. Indeed, there is some similarity ... The people call this bird a ghostly owl, a night owl, a screeching owl. When did the barn owl manage to earn so many nicknames? This question, perhaps, can only be answered by folk legends.
What is remarkable about the appearance of a barn owl?
These birds reach a length of about 40 centimeters. Wings in the open state have a meter size.
From above, the bird is painted in reddish tones with ashy patches and dark spots. The belly area is white with some yellow streaks. The head of the barn owl is round, the muzzle has a flattened appearance and white plumage. The eyes of the animal are very large and expressive. In a word, the appearance of the barn owl is quite memorable, especially if you unexpectedly meet her in the forest at twilight.
By the way, for this habit, people called her a ghostly owl, because she flies up almost silently, and then abruptly appears in the face of a person. Ghost Casper is just a childish joke compared to the antics of this bird!
The lifestyle of the barn owl, and its diet
Like all owls, the barn owl is a real winged predator. She flies out to hunt at night. Special auditory receptors and silent flight give this bird incredible advantages in night hunting. During the day, the owl prefers to sleep in the cool and shade. She sits on a tree so that she is not visible.
The barn owl is a twilight and nocturnal predator. The diet of this nocturnal bird includes field, small birds, hamsters,. If the barn owl noticed the prey, then there is nowhere to escape from the keen eyes and sharp hearing of the predator. 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.
How does barn owl breed
The male seeks a nesting place for these birds. When he has chosen a suitable “site” for building a nest, he begins to call the female with loud cries to see if this place is suitable for hatching future chicks. If the female agrees with the choice of the gentleman, then they start mating.
The female barn owl lays eggs in the built nest. Usually, the clutch consists of 4 - 6 eggs. A little more than a month, the process of incubation continues. After the end of the incubation period, little owls are born. They are covered with soft white fluff. The appearance of the little barn chicks is very funny and even awkward.
The barn owl (lat. Tyto alba) is a bird of prey of the barn owl family (Tytonidae) of the Strigiformes order, called the “white lady” for its unusual and mysterious appearance. Its snow-white facial disc has a heart shape, which distinguishes it from other owls.
The barn owl flies completely silently, outwardly resembling a real little white ghost, terrifying the helpless rodents in front of it. For this reason, European farmers love it very much. In Germany, on the roofs of houses in the countryside, even special “birdhouses” are arranged for her, called Eulenlochs (German: Eulenloch), which useful birds use with pleasure.
In the Middle Ages, it was customary to nail a stuffed bird on the front door.
It was believed that in this way you can protect yourself from fires and accidental lightning strikes. The cry of a barn owl was regarded as good news about the birth of a new little man, although in some regions it is still regarded as a harbinger of someone's death.
The European barn owl population currently numbers approximately 200,000 pairs.
Behavior
Barn owls are distributed on all continents with the exception of Antarctica. They prefer to settle in open spaces, moorlands and in fields where small rodents abound, which form the basis of their diet. In rural areas, these birds willingly settle near human dwellings, choosing the darkest nooks and crannies of various buildings for nesting, including abandoned buildings and dovecotes.
Barn owls are true patriots and are very attached to their native places.
Having settled, they drive away strangers with the screams and fiercely defend their territory from any encroachment. They spend a lot of time cleaning their feathers and keeping their nest clean.
Barn owls fly out to hunt at dusk and hunt until dawn. They are especially active when the moon is bright. Their visual acuity is 100 times greater than that of a human. In addition, owls have unusually fine hearing, which allows them to find prey even in pitch darkness.
The menu of barn owls is dominated by various small rodents - mice, rats, and If there is not enough of the usual food, they begin to eat frogs, insects, reptiles and small birds. The predator silently flies up to the intended victim and falls on top of it like a stone, instantly killing with sharp claws. The prey is swallowed whole. An owl eats a particularly large trophy, pecking off a piece. Undigested remains (feathers, bones, wool and claws) she burps in the form of spools.
reproduction
Being monogamous birds, barn owls form pairs once in a lifetime. Spouses constantly show signs of attention to each other and in every possible way demonstrate their care. The mating season begins in February, when the male brings his prey to the female as a wedding gift.
The male always searches for a secluded place for the nest. At the end of April, the female lays her eggs directly on the bare floor or on a small layer of spools. In years when there are especially many rodents, barn owls can produce not one, but two broods. Usually there are 3-6 eggs in a clutch. Incubation lasts from 30 to 34 days.
The female incubates the eggs, and the male brings her food. Owlets always hatch only at night and at two-week intervals.
Chicks at the beginning of their lives cannot swallow food whole, so the mother opens them a small piece of meat and feeds them until they grow up a little.
At the age of 2 weeks, they are covered with baby fluff, and each of them eats 5 mice daily. To feed the younger generation, the female also begins to fly out to hunt.
Upon reaching the age of 40 days, the owlets approach the edge of the nest and begin to intensively train their wings, and after another 20 days they become winged. In the event of a lack of food, older owlets kill and eat their younger brothers.
Chicks outwardly resemble small white fluffy koloboks. At two months, children's fluff changes to adult plumage, after which they leave their native nest. Mortality among them is very high, so less than 40% of chicks survive to one year.
Description
The body length of an adult is 33-35 cm with a wingspan of 85-93 cm. Birds weigh 320-380 g. The upper part of the body is yellowish-brown with small white and black-brown spots. The lower part is white with small dark specks.
Flight feathers of long and narrow wings are reddish with dark speckles. The plumage of the face forms a characteristic heart-shaped facial disc. The beak is sharp, strongly curved down. Small dark eyes provide excellent vision.
The paws are long and well adapted for grasping prey. The fingers are armed with sharp hooked claws.
The average life expectancy of barn owls is about 2 years.
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 Seychellois kestrel, the number of which 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 has benefited from human economic activity in deforestation and the development of agriculture, since 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 openings 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.