British Owls: The Barn Own

Owls evoke a sense of old magic, myth and mystery, peppering historical mythology and literature worldwide. They often appear as symbols of wisdom and good fortune but also as omens of death, evil and impending doom. With their haunting hoots, silent flight and nocturnal habits, whatever you believe, owls inspire wonder and awe.

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We’re privileged in the British Isles to have five resident species, four native – the Barn Owl, the Tawny Owl, the Long-eared Owl and the Short-eared Owl. Then the Little Owl was introduced in the 1800’s from mainland Europe. This month we’re looking at the beautiful Barn Owl.

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The Barn Owl

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With their unmistakable white feathers and heart-shaped faces, it’s truly thrilling to catch sight of a Barn Owl. They have bright white underparts and mottled golden upperparts. They can often be confused with a Short-eared Owl when in flight. But a Short-eared Owl has glowing yellow eyes and is more heavily patterned. Like most owls and birds of prey, the female barn owls are larger than the males.

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The Barn Owl also has a distinctive screech making them easy to identify.

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What do they eat?

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Barn Owls are ardent hunters. They glide effortlessly over open grassland searching for voles, mice, shrews or rats. They easily catch their food due to their incredible long-distance vision, sensitive hearing and silent flight.

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Breeding

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There’s no set breeding season for Barn Owls, they’ll often breed when food is abundant. This generally falls between March and August. As the name implies, Barn Owls like to nest in old barns or buildings, sometimes the hollows of trees. They prefer to build their nests on top of the debris from the year before and will lay around 4-6 eggs. They hatch after a month and fledge at approximately two months old.

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Where to see them

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Barn Owls live across the British Isles and Ireland. Their numbers were in decline but there are positive signs of recovery. They live in open countryside and farmland; sometimes, you can see them on roadside verges if you're lucky.

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