Barn Owls in the Uk

In the latest report in 2024, an incredible 5,691 potential nest sites were checked by trained individuals, of which 1,789 of these sites were holding active Barn Owl nests. The total population of Barn Owls is very hard to determine due to lack of recent surveys. However it is predicted there were around 4,000 pairs in 2009 but no one is 100% certain these figures are accurate

Sounds of the Barn Owl

You may of heard the typical owl sound, twit Twoo sound. However this is probably more likely a Tawny Owl

What do Barn Owls eat

Barn Owls are bird of prey, meaning they hunt, often catching small field voles here in the UK. They can also catch mice and rats. They have lots of adaptations to help them hunt at night. In the winter some people decide to feed them which can help them if they are struggling to find food. Read our Feeding Barn Owl guide to manage to do this safely

Where do Barn Owls hunt

Barn Owls hunt where there prey is the most abundant. Rough Grassland is where their prey is most abundant in. Rough grassland creates a littler layer. A litter layer provides Field Voles with cover they need for tunnels and nests. Field Voles, Shrews and Wood Mice make up 82% of what Barn Owls eat in the UK. With a good 70mm litter layer, rough grassland can contain up to 400 Field Voles per hectare! (A hectare is 100 metres x 100 metres). You can find more about Rough Grassland and how to manage land for it HERE

Adaptations 

Hearing

  • The Barn Owl’s heart-shaped face, or ‘facial disk’, collects and directs sound toward the inner ears.
  • The ear openings are situated inside the facial disk just behind the eyes.
  • They are shaped differently and placed asymmetrically, one higher than the other.
  • Sounds reaching the ears are therefore heard differently which helps the owl’s brain work out the exact position of the sound source.
  • The ears are particularly good at detecting the high frequency sounds emitted by small mammals moving in vegetation and vocalising.
  • This hearing can hear a heartbeat of a mouse concealed beneath vegetation

Where and how do Barn Owls hunt

  • Barn Owls are excellent hunters and can learn to do so almost totally by their own instincts when they are just 8-14 weeks old. They are often seen at dusk and dawn travelling from their roost site across unsuitable habitat to reach a good hunting spot like rough grassland. They mostly rely on sound to sound so fly low and slow back and fourth until they hear a mammal below.
  • Before pouncing, they will often hover, waiting for the perfect moment, although sometimes a Barn Owl will fly along and then suddenly drop straight into the grass.
  • When a Barn Owl strikes, it starts with a head-first dive before pulling its head back and replacing the facial disk with out-stretched talons
  • In winter, Barn Owls are more likely to spend time hunting from posts or other suitable perching places. This saves energy, both by reducing activity and by minimising the significant heat loss that can occur when flying in cold air.
  • The Barn Owl’s ability to hunt almost silently comes at a cost. Their specially adapted feathers are not particularly waterproof and they are unable to store a lot of body fat. This means they are unable to hunt in heavy rain and are particularly prone to starvation during prolonged periods of severe weather and/or prey shortage.

Eyesight 

  • The ear openings are situated inside the facial disk just behind the eyes.
  • They are shaped differently and placed asymmetrically, one higher than the other.
  • Sounds reaching the ears are therefore heard differently which helps the owl’s brain work out the exact position of the sound source.
  • The ears are particularly good at detecting the high frequency sounds emitted by small mammals moving in vegetation and vocalising.

Legs, toes and talons

  • Barn Owls have remarkably long legs, toes and talons.
  • This helps them to catch prey at the base of deep vegetation.
  • The talons are extremely sharp and prey is thought to be killed by foot clenching rather than a peck.

Camouflage 

 

  • When viewed from above Barn Owls are quite well camouflaged.
  • The rough grassland over which they usually hunt is, for most of the year, the same predominantly light brown colour as their upperparts.
  • People think the most plausible explanation for the Barn Owl's white underside is that it works as an anti-silhouette strategy: birds almost always appear as a dark silhouette when viewed from below – so birds with paler underparts are less visible. It’s also been suggested that light reflected off the owls’ white feathers may exploit a voles’ natural aversion to bright light causing them to freeze thereby making them easier to catch.