CC BY-SA 4.0 · User:Alun Williams333 · source
Quick Facts
- Type
- Bird
- Size
- 33–39 cm body length
- Weight
- 224–710 g
- Habitat
- Open farmland, grasslands, marshes, and barns
- Diet
- Carnivore — rodents, shrews, and small birds
- Active Time
- Nocturnal, most active at night
- Lifespan
- 1–4 years in the wild
Field Notes
- A barn owl can locate and catch prey in total darkness using hearing alone — its left and right ears are positioned at different heights on its skull for precise triangulation.
- Barn owl wing feathers have microscopic comb-like serrations on their leading edges that break up turbulence, making their flight acoustically silent to prey.
About the Barn Owl
The barn owl is one of the most widespread birds in the world, found on every continent except Antarctica. It hunts entirely by hearing in complete darkness, using its heart-shaped facial disc as a parabolic reflector that channels sound to asymmetrically placed ears — allowing it to pinpoint prey with sub-millimetre accuracy. Its wing feathers have comb-like leading edges that break up turbulence, making its flight nearly silent. Barn owls do not hoot — they produce a long raspy screech. A single family of barn owls can consume over 1,000 rodents per year, making them highly valued by farmers.
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