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Barn
Owls
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Length: 17-18 inches.
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Weight: about 1 pound.
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Wingspan: up to 43 inches.
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Females larger than males.
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White breast and white, heart-shaped face; red-brown
speckled body.
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Habitat Trees, abandoned burrows and buildings, old
farm machinery left in fields. Because it frequents
abandoned buildings, this bird has been the source of
ghost tales. Prefers temperate forests and grasslands.
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The Barn Owl is designated as a threatened species. The Barn Owls that
were studied were located in the southern area of New Jersey, near
the town of Salem. Loss of habitat is probably the largest reason
for the Barn Owl's decline. Farmland is being developed for housing
and old barns are being torn down with steel barns replacing wooden
ones. The steel barns are not as forgiving in temperature changes
as wooden barns, therefore, many Barn Owls freeze over the Winter
months as the steel barns are more extreem in temperature. The hunting
area of the Barn Owl has been reduced because of housing developments
and shopping malls taking up valuable room. Barn Owls need large open
fields and edge of forrest areas to hunt, and this has been slowly
reduced. Automobiles have contributed to over ten percent of the deaths
to Barn Owls. The reason for deaths from automobiles is, Barn Owls
swoop down just before they begin their flight, and if the owl is
in a tree next to a road, the chances for being killed or injured
be an automobile is high. |
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| Bird rescue & bird adoption;
parrot refuge/rescue & placement for unwanted birds. |
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| Check out our list of local
birds broken down by your state and different types of
species. |
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| Migrating birds stay on track
because of chemical reactions in their bodies that are
influenced by the Earth's magnetic field... |
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Part
I
March
3, 2006