The barn owl is a pale, ghostly owl found almost worldwide. It is a specialist rodent hunter of open country and one of the most widespread land birds on Earth.
Interesting facts
- Its heart-shaped face acts like a satellite dish, funnelling sound to its ears.
- Soft, fringed feathers make its flight almost silent.
- A family of barn owls can eat thousands of rodents in a year, making them valuable to farmers.
- Barn owls screech and hiss rather than hoot.
- Some authorities now split the barn owl into several species, such as the western, American and eastern barn owls.
- They swallow prey whole and cough up pellets of bones and fur.
Behaviour
Barn owls hunt at dusk and at night, flying slowly and low over fields and quartering the ground. They roost and nest in barns, church towers, hollow trees, cliffs and nest boxes.
Breeding and young
Females lay four to seven eggs, sometimes more in years with plenty of voles. Eggs are laid a few days apart, so chicks are different sizes. They fledge after about 8–9 weeks.
Threats and conservation
Loss of rough grassland for hunting, fewer nest sites in old buildings and trees, road deaths, and rodenticide poisoning.
Where to see it
- Farmland across Europe, especially at dusk in winter
- Nest box webcams worldwide
- Farms and grasslands across North America, Africa, Asia and Australia
- Bird reserves with barn owl boxes
Status source: IUCN Red List. Profile last reviewed September 2026.
