Francesca Scalpi

BARN OWL - Tyto alba

The Barn Owl is a medium sized owl with no ear-tufts and a heart-shaped face. These pale, nearly worldwide birds are closely associated with man through their traditional use of barn lofts and church steeples as nesting sites.

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The species name "alba" refers to the color white. Ghostly pale and strictly nocturnal, Barn Owls are silent predators of the night world. Lanky, with a whitish face, chest, and belly, and buffy upperparts, this owl roosts in hidden, quiet places during the day. By night, they hunt on buoyant wingbeats in open fields and meadows.

Other Names for Barn Owls are Cave Owl, Death Owl, Ghost Owl, Golden Owl, Monkey-faced Owl, Night Owl, Screech Owl, Silver Owl, and White Owl. Diverse habitats; prefers open land with some trees, roosts and nests in barns, buildings, cliffs, and trees. Eats almost exclusively small mammals like voles, mice, and rats; occasionally birds; rarely reptiles, amphibians, and arthropods.

Nest Site: usually a cavity nester; also nests in cliffs, banks, caves, buildings, nestboxes, or abandoned nests of other birds Eggs: usually 4-7 (sometimes up to 16) dull-white, elongated eggs, laid asynchronously every 2-3 days. Incubation: 29-35 days