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Barn Owl Facts & Worksheets

Creamy white and cinnamon in color, the barn owl (Tyto alba) is a widely distributed species of owl found on almost every continent except Antarctica.

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Creamy white and cinnamon in color, the barn owl (Tyto alba) is a widely distributed species of owl found on almost every continent except Antarctica. These monkey-faced owls are the most numerous of all raptorial birds, considered to be of least concern regarding conservation.

See the fact file below for more information on the barn owl or alternatively, you can download our 20-page Barn Owl worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

TAXONOMY AND ETYMOLOGY

  • Also known as the common barn owl, this species’ family, Tytonidae, is one of the two main lineages of living owls, the other being the true owls or typical owls from the Strigidae family.
  • In 1769, Tyrolean physician and naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli initially described barn owls in his Anni Historico-Naturales, and gave them the scientific name Strix alba. Strix is a genus name which refers exclusively to the “wood owls” of the Strigidae family.
  • Its current scientific name, Tyto alba, literally means “white owl”, derived from the onomatopoeic Ancient Greek tyto which means “owl” and the Latin alba, meaning “white”.
  • These birds are distinguished by a number of common names which refer to their appearance, call, habitat, or ghostly, silent flight. Some of these monikers include white owl, silver owl, demon owl, ghost owl, death owl, night owl, hobgoblin or hobby owl, dobby owl, white-breasted owl, golden owl, screech owl, straw owl, barnyard owl, and delicate owl.
  • Barn owls have 20 subspecies: T.a. alba, T.a. furcata, T.a. tuidara, T.a. guttata, T.a. pratincola, T.a. punctatissima, T.a. poensis, T.a. thomensis, T.a. affinis, T.a. guatemalae, T.a. bargei, T.a. contempta, T.a. schmitzi, T.a. ernesti, T.a. gracilirostris, T.a. detorta, T.a. erlangeri, T.a. hellmayri, T.a. bondi, and T.a. niveicauda.

APPEARANCE

  • Barn owls are medium-sized birds, about 39 to 44 cm in overall length, with a wingspan measuring 235 to 323 mm, and short, squarish tails reaching 110 to 125 mm. They weigh 250 to 480 g; females are usually heavier than males.
  • They have white to gray or yellowish to brownish orange plumage slightly covered by a pale ashy-grey veil and scattered white spots.
  • They lack ear tufts, and have small, dark-colored eyes, brownish-black claws, and heart-shaped facial disks with whitish-pink bills, resembling that of a monkey’s face.
  • Their tail shape makes them easily identifiable from typical owls when seen in the air. Other unique features of barn owls include their wavy flight pattern and drooping, feathered legs.
  • Male barn owls generally have lesser spots on their underside and are paler in color compared to females.
  • Young barn owls are covered in white feathers, but the heart-shaped facial disk shows up soon after hatching.
  • Tyto alba furcata from Cuba and Jamaica is the largest bodied race of barn owl subspecies.

HABITAT AND DIET

  • Barn owls are widespread land birds, usually spotted on all continents except Antarctica. Their range includes most of Britain and Europe, most countries in Asia, and the whole of Australia. They are seen in grasslands and on oceanic islands, such as the Galapagos in South America. In 1958, barn owls were successfully introduced in Hawaii, specifically on the island of Kauai, to control rodents and other native birds.
  • They are known to be sedentary, staying in one place for a long time.
  • Barn owls are found in most habitats but commonly in open woodlands, heaths, and moors. During the day, they perch in tree hollows, caves, wells, outbuildings, or thick foliage.
  • They feed on small terrestrial mammals, as well as bats, lizards, amphibians, insects, and other birds.
  • In North America and the majority of Europe, barn owls prey on voles (small rodents or field mice) and shrews (mole-like mammals). In the Mediterranean and tropic and subtropic regions of Australia, mice and rats form the main part of barn owls’ diet. Geckos and birds, such as plovers, godwits, turnstones, weavers, and pratincoles, are usually eaten by barn owls found on the Cape Verde Islands.
  • They are preyed upon by large American opossums (Didelphis), common raccoons, and other carnivorous mammals, including eagles, hawks, and other owls.
  • The great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) and the Eurasian eagle-owl (B. bubo) are well-known predators of barn owls.
  • They are also hosts to a number of parasites. Fleas can be found in their nesting sites. Barn owls are plagued by feather lice which eat the barbules of the feathers and are transferred to another owl through direct contact.

BEHAVIOR

  • Barn owls are generally nocturnal, depending on their acute hearing, with ears placed asymmetrically, improving their sound detection and not requiring sight to hunt. Sometimes they are active before dusk for a short period of time, and during the day when finding another roosting site.
  • They are not particularly territorial but have a home range within their nests. Male barn owls in Scotland have a radius of about 1 km (0.6 mi) from their nesting site. Females, on the other hand, have home ranges that go along with that of their mates.
  • If it is not breeding season, males and females find nests separately, each having at least three ideal sites to lurk in by day and to visit briefly during the night.
  • Their flights are noiseless, with wingbeats interrupted by gliding.
  • Contrary to popular belief, these owls do not hoot. Instead, they produce a shree scream – an eerie shriek painful to human hearing at close distances.
  • Both nestling and adult barn owls produce a snake-like hiss defense when agitated, a purring chirrup sound when overjoyed, and a “kee-yak” which is similar to the vocalizations made by a tawny owl.
  • In captivity, barn owls throw themselves on their back and strike with their sharp claws, aiming for an effective defense. In some situations, one may hear rasping sounds or clicking snaps, produced either by the beak or tongue. Captive birds often live longer than wild ones.

REPRODUCTION

  • Barn owls found in the tropics breed in any season. Females lay eggs during the dry season, with a surplus of rodent prey as some vegetation becomes scarce. In Australia and other arid regions, the breeding season is irregular and usually happens in wet periods, caused by the short-lived increase of small mammal population.
  • However, there are instances where no egg-laying takes place, especially in temperate climates. In Europe and South America, nesting happens from March to June.
  • Females become sexually mature at ten to eleven months, usually earlier than males. Barn owls are generally monogamous, having one mate for life unless one of the couple dies. Outside the breeding season, the pair might roost separately but return to their established nesting site when it is time to mate. When a female loses her mate but finds her breeding site, she may attract a new spouse.
  • During early evenings, male barn owls make short flights and circle their roosting site, establishing a home range. When joined by the female, the pair chase, turn, and twist in mid air while producing screeching sounds; the male sounds are high-pitched compared to those of the females.
  • To end the mating ritual, males fly high into the sky during dusk, and return to their partner at speed. Females, on the contrary, sit and preen, and go back to the nest a few minutes before the males arrive with food.
  • Females lay an average of five eggs on alternate days. The eggs appear to be chalky white in color, and are incubated as soon as the first egg is laid. The incubation period lasts around 30 days, while hatching takes place over a long period.

Barn Owl Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the barn owls across 20 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Barn Owl worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the barn owl (Tyto alba) which is a widely distributed species of owl found on almost every continent except Antarctica. These monkey-faced owls are the most numerous of all raptorial birds, considered to be of least concern regarding conservation.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Barn Owl Facts
  • Barn Owl Basics
  • Owlnatomy
  • Life of a Monkey-faced Owl
  • Comparing Two Owls
  • Barn Owl Query
  • Note the Owl Facts
  • Other Owl Species
  • Save Them from Extinction
  • Owl Fable
  • Barn Owl Mask

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Link will appear as Barn Owl Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, March 11, 2020

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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