With their heart-shaped face and pure white feathers, barn owls are one of Britain's most treasured birds. Look out for a barn owl in ghostly silent flight along our riverbanks and canal towpaths at dusk.
Recognisable by it's heart-shaped face, the barn owl is one of the most widespread bird species.
Barn owl facts
Scientific name: Tyto alba
Family: Tytonidae
Diet: Rodents, small mammals, frogs, birds, and insects
Predators: Buzzards, goshawks, sometimes foxes
Size: 30-40cm, with an 85-95cm wingspan
Weight: 290-460g
Lifespan: Average four years, but can live up to 10
An owl by many names
One of our most-loved countryside birds today, barn owls have been known by many different names throughout history – from ghost owl to church owl or screech owl. Some rural populations gave them the name 'demon owl' upon hearing their piercing calls.
Barn owls, like all owls, are nocturnal birds and do most of their hunting at night. But you can sometimes see them flying over farmland and grassland along our canals and rivers, hunting for their next meal. With silent flight, excellent precision, and formidable hearing, barn owls are stealthy predators.
Barn owls and our canals
Barn owl survival depends on their ability to secure food – and our canals are prime feeding areas. Owls love voles, so we've reduced the number of cuts to grassland areas to provide a better habitat for the voles, which in turn aids the owl population.
Instantly recognisable by its white heart-shaped face, legs, and underbody. Its back, wings and head are golden brown with black and grey mottling. As with most birds of prey, females are larger than male barn owls.
Two barn owls with heart-shaped faces and white feathers perch on a log by the side of the canal.
What do barn owls eat?
Barn owls are ferocious and avid hunters. With incredible abilities to see and hear long distances while in silent flight, barn owls scour open grassland for prey. They're able to pick up the smallest of sounds.
While preferring small mammals such as voles, mice, shrews, and rats, barn owl diets can occasionally also include bats, small birds, amphibians, and invertebrates.
How do barn owls breed?
The barn owls typically reproduce depending on food supply. As such, there's no set breeding period. However, they usually lay around four to six eggs between March and August.
The chicks hatch just after a month later in the order they were laid – known as 'asynchronous' hatching. This means there can be as much as three weeks between the youngest and oldest chicks. This helps spread food demands over a longer period.
In times of little food, parent barn owls will only feed the biggest chick and let the smaller ones die. Because of this, 75% of chicks die within the first year of life.
Chicks are ready to fledge at around two months old.
A barn owl chick with fluffy feathers and its characteristic heart-shaped face perches on a log.
Where do barn owls live?
As the name indicates, the barn owl nests in cavities within barns, buildings, bridges, and tree hollows – anywhere that provides shelter from wind and rain. Rather than building nests, they make their homes on top of the debris of previous years. In general, barn owls will nest at least three metres above the ground unless in an extremely isolated area.
You can find barn owls across Great Britain and Ireland. They choose to live in open countryside, farmland, along roadside verges, and by canals and rivers.
Barn owls might be silent and stealthy in flight, but it's still possible to spot one. They can often be seen hunting along linear features, like hedgerows.
Even if you fail to see a barn owl, you might hear their unmistakable high-pitched screech when walking along the canal at dawn or dusk.
What's the best time of day to spot barn owls?
While barn owls are nocturnal birds of prey, you can often spot them hunting at dusk and dawn, along linear features like hedgerows. You might see one in the daytime during the winter months when food supplies are low.
Winter is the best time of year to spot a barn owl in flight. This is when they spend most of their time hunting to survive the cold weather when food supplies aren't as plentiful.
Threats to barn owls
Barn owl numbers declined previously but appear to have stabilised more recently and are fairly common today. They're a protected species, and it's illegal to intentionally disturb them.
Threats include changing agricultural practices, cutting down trees, destroying natural grasslands, and barn conversions. We work with organisations like the Wildlife Conservation Partnership to install nesting boxes and manage habitats.
