Transcript:

Today on animal fact files we’re talking about barn owls. The common name barn owl could be in reference to a single species, but since that species looks quite similar to other species in it’s family, we’ll be discussing the entire family of barn owls in this episode. Barn owls are also called “heart shaped face” owls, and I’m sure you can understand why. There are also some owls classified in the barn owl family who are more commonly known as bay owls with more angular heart faces. Alongside bay and barn owls in the barn owl family are owls commonly known as sooty owls, masked owls, and grass owls; though, at the end of the day, they are all part of the barn owl family. In total, there are approximately twenty classified, living barn owl species.

Barn owls are separated from “true” owls not only by their lovely faces but also by their long, lower positioned bills and proportionally smaller eyes. A barn owl has four toes like other owls, and the fourth toe is reversible, but the barn owl’s inner toes are as long as their middle toes and the claw on their middle toe is serrated. These owls are wide ranging occurring everywhere except in cold temperature and arctic regions; they are, therefore, considered cosmopolitan with species found on every continent except Antarctica. They are the most species diverse, however, in Australia. Something amazing specifically about the common barn owl is that it is actually found worldwide. This is rather rare in living animals. How many animal species besides humans can you think of that can be found on almost every continent? We’ll give you a hint, we’ve talked about one in the past!

Barn owls may be found from open woodlands to lush forests to grasslands to caves. Sooty owls specifically may live in tree cavities or caves and there’s one known cave nest site these owls have been using so long that the remains of extinct species have been found there - as discarded owl food! These owls are generally nocturnal, meaning they’re most active at night. They have excellent low light vision just like a cat, but their shining hunting ability is their sense of hearing. Their disc shaped faces catch sound and direct the sound to their highly sensitive and attuned ears. Barn owls hunt rodents but they’ve also been observed hunting other birds, reptiles, frogs, and insects. They’re able to fly low to the ground, and like other owl species they fly silently. When something is located, barn owls often carry their prey in their beaks, unlike many other birds of prey who transport food in their talons. Sometimes male and female barn owls even hunt together.

Barn owls are generally monogamous and don’t do much migrating. This is often why their range is limited to areas with more mild winters. A pair may remain in a territory year round and they can be prolific breeders. Grass owls nest on the ground in grass tunnels; other species tend to nest in tree or rock cavities; common barn owls will even make use of man-made structures to nest and this might be a contributing factor for why they’ve been able to to spread out around the world. If food is plentiful, in a single year barn owls may produce up to three clutches with anywhere from one to eighteen eggs! The eggs hatch asynchronously meaning the oldest chick might be up to a month older than it’s youngest sibling. Normally in the bird world this means bad news for the baby of the family, but barn owl siblings have actually been observed not only grooming each other but even feeding one another!

Threats to barn owls include habitat loss and collision with vehicles. If met with a natural threat, barn owls will put on impressive displays that include hissing, creepy head movements, and sometimes even spurting poop. If all else fails, they can even play possum! In the wild, barn owls may live to be 15 or older.

For more facts on barn owls, check out the links in the description. Thank you to Michael for today’s request. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files.