Barn Owls are  usually seen as ghostly figures drifting across the road, illuminated by the car’s headlights, or glimpsed as they perch on a roadside post, statue-like, as you speed past. The Barn Owl is surely one of the most charismatic birds of the night.

When you get a good look at a Barn Owl, one of its most distinctive features is its heart-shaped facial disc. An adaption to hunting at night, it focuses even the faintest squeak or rustle from a mouse into the bird’s ears. Unlike human ears, the owl’s are set at different levels so that it can readily locate the source of the noise. The owl’s feathers have soft fringes to make them virtually silent in flight, and this allows the bird to hear potential prey as it flies across the landscape.

​Barn Owls also have large eyes, essential for good vision on even the darkest nights. With this combination of features, it’s no surprise that the Barn Owl is a master hunter of the night.

During periods of good rains, the grass grows and sets seed. This abundance of food allows the populations of mice to increase, and then, in turn, so does the population of Barn Owls, breeding up their numbers in response to the availability of their prey.

Under natural circumstances, Barn Owls nest and roost in old tree hollows, but they will also use old, disused buildings such as barns (hence their name). They also use other artificial sites which mimic hollows — once, one was even found roosting in a rubbish bin!

Barns Owls are one of the few birds to occur on all the world’s temperate continents.  It’s the most widespread terrestrial bird. They’re seen right across Australia, especially wherever there’s grasslands or farmland, though they’re irregular visitors to Tasmania. 

Some Barn Owls have an unusual feature — sometimes their feathers may emit a luminous light at night, which adds to their mystique. 
 
Birdlife
AUSTRALIA
​November 2023




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