The barn owl is white. Barn owl bird. Lifestyle and habitat of the barn owl bird. Lifestyle and social structure
Barn owl bird It belongs directly to the barn owl family and is a predator, although its size is quite small. The bird has many names that have been assigned to it in various legends and folk art, for example: screeching or ghostly owl, night owl, “bird with a monkey face” and others.
And indeed, just look at photo of a barn owl in order to understand that in the image of this bird there is a certain similarity with a primate.
Features and habitat of the barn owl
Scientists ornithologists could not classify barn owls as any certain group, so we decided to “assign” our own to them separate category. Barn owl is the most common species, and is found today on virtually all continents except Antarctica.
Despite the fact that the barn owl is a predator, and the most nocturnal of all owls, its dimensions are very modest: body length ranges from twenty-five to fifty centimeters, and weight from two hundred to eight hundred grams.
Female barn owls are approximately ten percent larger than males. The plumage of birds is fluffy and soft. Top part the body and head are usually dark gray or Brown, while the entire surface of the body is strewn with specks.
The belly, muzzle and chest are white, often with spots. The barn owl's body is slender, with black claws on its dark pink toes. The eyes of these birds are extremely expressive, with a beautiful iris of a bizarre color.
barn owl Today laziness has spread virtually over the entire surface globe with the exception of Antarctica and some cold climate regions and countries such as North America and Canada.
Since the body of barn owls is not predisposed to the accumulation of fat reserves, low temperature absolutely not suitable for these. On the territory of Russia you can meet barn owls only in the Kaliningrad region.
Mountainous areas with high altitudes and the arid deserts of Africa are also not suitable for barn owls. In the twentieth century, the bird was artificially introduced to the Canary, Hawaiian and Seychelles islands, so now many of its varieties live there.
Barn owls live in huge variety natural conditions and geographical landscapes, but the bird prefers to settle on open plains with rare forested area and with an abundance of swamps and ponds nearby.
Ravines, wastelands and meadows are also favorite places barn owl habitats. They are often located near human habitation and farmland, since food and, in particular, small rodents can always be found here.
Barn owl or Australian barn owl distributed not only in Australia, but also in New South Wales, Tasmania and some other territories.
Pictured is a masked barn owl
Australian barn owls differ from other representatives of their species not only in their colorful appearance, but also in size: female masked barn owls are considered the largest of all other species.
Black barn owl- at the current time it is considered the least studied species, since its activity occurs in the dead of night and is hidden from human observation. It settles mainly among eucalyptus forests, forest edges and meadows of New Guinea and the eastern part of the Australian continent.
In the photo there is a black barn owl
Character and lifestyle of the barn owl bird
The barn owl received the nickname “ghost owl” for its ability to suddenly appear right in the face of an unsuspecting person, without making the slightest sound.
There is an opinion that the bird earned its Russian-language name “Barn Owl,” in turn, for its own slightly hoarse voice, which can frighten a random traveler lost in the forest.
In addition to the ability to move silently through the air, the barn owl has a very developed vision and auditory receptors that allow her to hunt in the middle of the night, perfectly oriented in pitch darkness.
During the day, the barn owl sits in a hollow, on the roof or in other reliable shelter. Barn owl - owl, preferring a solitary lifestyle, but in places where there is a great abundance of food, small groups and concentrations of birds can be observed.
The barn owl is often busy flying around its own territory, during which it changes altitude many times. Having noticed an unwanted guest, the owl begins to make threatening movements in order to intimidate the opponent.
Flapping its wings, the barn owl can attack the enemy both with the help of its strong paws and by using its beak, making a frightening click with it during the attack.
There are often cases when barn owls build their nests in close proximity to humans: in the attics of residential buildings, in barns or outbuildings. In the wild, this owl can easily take over someone else's nest or burrow.
Barn owl nutrition
Barn owl – predatory bird, which hunts mainly in the dead of night. When going out to hunt, it flies quite low above the ground, looking out for its potential prey.
The main food in the barn owl's diet is various small rodents: hamsters, rats, voles, and many others.
The prey of these birds varies depending on the region where they live, and owls eat birds, even birds of prey, frogs, reptiles and some species of invertebrate animals.
Barn owl- Not the best option as a pet, because firstly, the body of owls is designed in such a way that they need to eat at least three live rodents a day, so if you decide buy a barn owl, then be sure to take this fact into account.
Secondly, the barn owl is a bird that leads night look life, so as a pet it is only suitable for people who sleep during the day and are awake at night.
Barn owl reproduction and lifespan
The bird breeding season continues throughout the first two spring months. The location for the future nest is determined by the male, and it is mandatory must be carefully hidden from human eyes and all sorts of ill-wishers and enemies.
Barn owl chicks in the photo
Birds usually make their nests at a respectful height from the ground. In one clutch, the female brings from four to seven eggs, from which the first chicks appear a month later. After a month and a half, the offspring grow stronger and leave the nest to live independently.
About three-quarters of all young offspring die in the first year of life, the rest survive until about eleven years of age. There are known cases when, in captivity, barn owls reached the venerable age of several decades.
Taxonomy
Russian name - ordinarybarn owl
Latin name- Tyto alba
English name- Barn owl
Bird class - Aves
Order - owls (Strigiformes)
Family - barn owls (Tytonidae)
Genus - barn owl (Tyto)
Barn owls are the most ancient branch of the order of owls, as evidenced by the wealth of fossil forms. Now they are preserved only in the form of a small relict group.
Conservation status of the species
The barn owl is not a threatened species, but the reduction of its usual nesting sites is a serious threat to it. In Eastern Europe, in recent decades, for unknown reasons, there has been a catastrophic decline in the barn owl population. The species has almost disappeared from the Baltic countries and Belarus, and has become rare in Ukraine and Moldova. Now the barn owl is listed in the Red Books of a number of countries in Eastern Europe.
Species and man
Barn owls often gravitate towards human dwellings, settling in attics, outbuildings, ruins, churches, and bell towers. It is not for nothing that in English “barn owl” is translated as “barn owl”. In cities where there are always a lot of rats and mice, barn owls always easily find food for themselves. And besides, “urban” barn owls have learned to hunt night insects by the light of lanterns and bats.
Like other species of owls, people have always treated barn owls with superstitious fear, especially since they were the ones most often seen near their homes. And just like other owls, barn owls were a symbol of wisdom. Nowadays, superstitions about owls, fortunately, are a thing of the past, and people treat these birds with obvious sympathy. And the role of barn owls in the fight against urban rodents is obvious and not disputed by anyone.
Distribution and habitats
The barn owl is one of the most common birds on the globe. It is found on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica, and on many islands, including remote ones. However, the barn owl cannot tolerate the cold northern climate, so it is not found in the northern regions of Canada and Northern Europe. The barn owl has been successfully introduced (settled) on many remote islands: Hawaiian, Seychelles, and New Zealand. However, the introduction of the barn owl to the Seychelles in 1949 showed how fragile the natural balance is and how easy it is to upset it. The fact is that the barn owl Seychelles began to hunt not only rats, but also the endemic Seychelles kestrel, the number of which began to decline sharply.
Over a vast range, there are more than 30 subspecies of barn owls.
In our country, the barn owl is found only in Kaliningrad region.
The barn owl lives in a variety of biotopes, avoiding only dense forests. This is one of the few bird species that benefited economic activity people on deforestation and development Agriculture, since this expanded the food supply and made it possible to disperse very widely. The barn owl willingly settles near human habitation.
Appearance and morphology
The barn owl is a slender owl with long legs. It is this somewhat “elongated” upward shape that distinguishes the barn owl from all other owls. Body length is 33–39 cm, wingspan 80–95 cm, average weight 300–400 g. The plumage is very soft and fluffy. The upper part of the body is usually buffy-red, with transverse gray streaks and numerous small dark stripes and specks. The underparts are golden-red with sparse dark specks. The facial disc is white and heart-shaped, which also immediately distinguishes barn owls from other owls.
Males and females are almost the same in color.
Nutrition and feeding behavior
The barn owl's diet mainly consists of various mouse-like rodents and shrews. However, it also catches birds, including birds of prey, bats, frogs, and insects. During a hunt, an owl either flies around its territory, constantly changing altitude - up and down, or waits for its prey from ambush. The flight of barn owls is soft and silent, since the wings are designed in such a way that the ends of the flight feathers dampen the sound of flight.
Barn owls kill their prey with their claws, and then, stepping on it with their long legs, tear them apart with their beak. Their neck is so mobile that they can eat almost without bending over their prey. While eating, the feathers of the owl's facial disc constantly move as it opens and closes its mouth, so it appears that barn owls are constantly grimacing while eating.
Vocalization
The barn owl's voice - a special hoarse "heee" - gave rise to the Russian name for the bird. In general, barn owls are the most “talkative” during the nesting period. At this time, they scream and hoot hoarsely or shrilly. Outside the breeding season, barn owls are usually silent. In addition to vocal sounds, they sometimes click their beaks or flap their wings demonstratively.
Lifestyle and social structure
Barn owls lead a solitary lifestyle, but in places rich in prey they can live in small groups. This is one of the most nocturnal owls. Barn owls sleep during the day, and for the night they choose some natural or artificial niche: a hollow, a hole or an old attic in the house. They live, as a rule, sedentary, but in the absence of prey (“non-mouse years”) they can migrate to a new place.
When encountering a violator of its territorial possessions, the barn owl spreads its wings and flaps them, approaching the enemy closely. At this time, the owl hisses loudly and clicks its beak. The barn owl does not have a threat pose, such as that of other owls. Instead, she spreads her wings in a horizontal plane and lies down, hugging the ground with her plumage tightly pressed. If such a demonstration does not help, the barn owl can attack the enemy, falling on his back and striking him with his clawed feet.
When a person approaches, barn owls usually rise high on their long legs and sway quietly, while actively moving the feathers of their facial disc, “grimacing,” and then fly away
Barn owls' vision is very well developed; they see perfectly both in the dark and in bright light.
Hearing, like all other owls, is also well developed. The ears are located on the sides of the head asymmetrically, the left one is higher, the right one is lower. This structure of the hearing aid helps birds hear sounds made by potential victims from different angles. Short thick feathers framing the facial disc are good sound reflectors. Barn owls are very sensitive to all sound signals, and if the sound is too loud, they cover their ear openings with peculiar plugs covered with small feathers.
Reproduction and parental behavior
Since barn owls live in different climatic conditions, then their breeding season falls on different time. In the tropics there is no seasonality of reproduction at all, in temperate latitudes owls begin breeding in March-April.
Barn owls are monogamous, but sometimes there are cases of polygamy (one male and several females). They nest in separate pairs, in natural conditions - in hollows, burrows, and the nests of other birds; Barn owls do not build their own nests. In the anthropogenic landscape they nest in attics, bell towers, and barns. The nests are located at different heights, but usually no higher than 20 m above the ground.
With the onset of the mating season, the male flies around the tree chosen for the nest, making sharp hoarse sounds to attract the attention of the female. Then he begins to chase the female, and during the chase both birds scream hoarsely together. After mating, the female lays 4–8 (in “mouse years” up to 16) fairly small oblong eggs (other owls have round eggs), white or cream-colored. Eggs are laid at intervals of 1 or 2 days. The incubation period lasts 29–34 days, only the female incubates, and the male feeds her all this time. The hatched chicks are covered with thick white down and are completely helpless. Parents bring them food one by one. After 35–45 days, the chicks leave the nest, and at the age of 50–55 days they begin to fly. They become completely independent at the age of 3 months, and then fly away. last week Living with their parents, young people hunt with them, adopting the hunting experience of their elders. Barn owls are characterized by a very large flight radius of young ones - hundreds and even thousands of kilometers.
In “mouse years,” barn owls even in temperate latitudes can have 2 successful clutches per season.
The young can begin to breed as early as 10 months of age.
Lifespan
According to banding data, barn owls can live in the wild for up to 18 years, but average duration Their lifespan is much shorter - about 2 years. However, there are also “champion” results: in North America a barn owl lived in captivity for 11 years and 6 months; in Holland, a barn owl lived in the wild for up to 17 years, and the record holder is a barn owl from England, who lived in captivity for 22 years.
Keeping animals at the Moscow Zoo
In our zoo, barn owls live in the pavilion " Night world", which is certainly optimal for this species. Currently there are 5 birds there. At the exhibition you can always see 1 pair, the rest “rest” in a non-exhibition room, the birds are changed once a year. Most barn owls are obtained from nature. One pair of barn owls breeds regularly; they have already had 4 broods. They incubate the clutch and feed the chicks themselves.
The barn owl's diet at the zoo consists of 6 mice daily.
Tyto multipunctata (Mathews, )
| Taxonomy on Wikispecies | Images on Wikimedia Commons |
|
Tyto multipunctata - a bird of the barn owl family that lives in Australia.
Area
Tyto multipunctata inhabits dense tropical forests on the plains of North-Eastern Australia: north-east Queensland (Cooktown - Townsville line, surroundings of Lake Icham). Some researchers include this species in Tyto tenebricosa(black barn owl).
Appearance
Tyto multipunctata in size it is noticeably inferior to the black barn owl, which lives in the forests of northern Queensland. Endemic to wet tropical forests this area of Australia. Both species of barn owls are often called silver barn owls, meaning silver-colored white color bottom of the bird. Barn owl lighter in color on the upper body, it is often grayish-brown with a large number light streaks of a silvery-white hue on the head and wings; There are also black birds, but they are also very colorful. The facial disc is large - silvery-white around the eyes. Around the disc there is a bright border of short dark feathers. The underparts are silvery-white with many dark spots, which are especially numerous on the chest, making the chest appear dark gray. The tail is very short. The eyes are large, the iris is black. The beak is light gray, the legs are light gray, the fingers are adapted for capturing prey: two are directed forward, two are directed back, the claws are black. Slight sexual dimorphism in size: the female is slightly larger (male 33 cm, female 37 cm). On average, the body length of small black barn owls ranges from 31-38 cm.
Lifestyle
Barn owls lead a secretive lifestyle, but their location can be determined by their cry, which eyewitnesses define as a “bomb whistle”. This is a loud trill-whistle, turning into a loud scream, heard over a great distance. When threatening, a barn owl clicks its tongue, making clicking sounds to unnerve its opponent.
Tyto multipunctata- hollow nester. For nesting, he chooses large hollows of a living tree, sometimes in the fork of large branches, preferring trees called Rose Gum. In other cases, it occupies natural depressions between tree roots and in natural niches along bank slopes. The male and female adhere to each other for a long time, but outside the nesting season they live alone and daytime carried out in different places. The female lays two eggs and incubates them for 42 days. The male brings prey to the female into the nest several times a night. The number of breeding pairs in the rainforests of north Queensland is estimated at 2000 pairs. Barn owls inhabit the area from the mountains south of Cooktown to the north of this area. For them, an area of 50 hectares is optimal.
Hunting
When hunting, barn owls are able to overcome dense thickets tropical forest at night, identifying the location of its prey and attacking it. They feed on land animals: rats, other rodents, bandicoots, lizards, frogs and others small mammals. They sometimes hunt arboreal animals, birds and gliders. Because barn owls are at the beginning the food chain, the size of their livestock depends on the food supply. Another deterrent is anxiety from a person. These are territorial birds that do not stray far from their possessions.
The average wing length is 243-343 mm; wingspan - 103 cm. Length of females - 44-51 cm; weight - 900-1100 g. Length of males - 37-43 cm; weight - 600-700 g.
A medium-sized owl without ear tufts. Females, as a rule, are larger and heavier than males (the difference in mass is up to 350 g), however, reverse sexual dimorphism was detected in one of the observed pairs.
The main plumage of the bird is ash-black; on the rounded facial corolla, the color of which varies from light gray to graphite (gradually darkening from the light edges towards the middle), there are very large black eyes.
The lower part of the belly and thighs is dark, with small uneven black spots. The iris of the eye is a rich dark brown color, the beak is light cream. The legs are densely feathered down to the base of the dark gray toes, which end in massive black-brown claws. The wings are short, rounded and uniform along their entire length; very short tail.
The chicks are covered with whitish or light gray down; juveniles look almost like adults, but with a darker facial disc.
Voice
The best-known call of the Black Barn Owl is a long, downward whistle that is often compared to the sound of a flying
The barn owl is a rather unusual animal among its kind. In addition, this owl is one of the most ancient species of owls.
According to scientific classification, a species of barn owl comes from the barn owl family and genus Barn Owl. Thanks to her external features and lifestyle, this owl is also called the night owl, ghost owl. The main features that distinguish the barn owl from its relatives are the shape of the head and the unusual, characteristic only this species voice, which became the reason for another nickname - the screech owl. Thus, it can be assumed that in old times this owl was attributed to some magical properties and mystical character, also due to her unusual expressive eyes. The beauty of this bird is undeniable, so it is not surprising that many - both amateurs and professionals - simply dream of capturing a beautiful owl in a photo.
Camouflage coloration of a barn owl. Appearance
The barn owl differs from other owls in the shape of its facial disc, which resembles a heart and a white mask at the same time. Due to the special expression of this mask, the barn owl is also called the “monkey-faced owl.”
The feather color is mainly white interspersed with reddish shades. The thickness of the plumage allows these owls to live in cold areas. The owl's body size is about 40 centimeters, its wingspan is almost a meter. The weight of a barn owl ranges from 200 to 700 grams.
The upper part of the owl's body is darker, there is much more of a reddish tint, while the lower part is predominantly white or yellowish. The facial disc is white and noticeably flattened in shape. The owl’s “face” is surrounded by a circle of ocher-colored feathers. The wings are predominantly white, but can also be decorated with a dark streaky pattern. The barn owl's eyes are quite large, bright and very expressive. The iris is mostly black or dark in color. The barn owl's body is elongated and slender with long paws covered with thick feathers. Her tail is very short. The beak is yellow-white. In general, we can say that the color of the lower part of the body depends mainly on its habitat. Externally, females differ little from males, but the former are slightly darker. Chicks are also almost no different from adults, with the exception of a more variegated color. Thus, the common barn owl has a rather bright, memorable appearance, as can be seen by looking at the photo of the barn owl.
Beautiful barn owl. 
Barn owl: front view of an owl. 
Beautiful photo barn owls. 
Barn owl on the hunt. 
Area
The barn owl is distributed on almost all continents. The only place on the planet where you cannot see it is Antarctica. For our country, the barn owl is a great rarity, and this owl can only be found in the Kaliningrad region. In neighboring countries and the Baltic states, the barn owl is also a rather rare specimen. It does not live in the mountains, or in the northern regions. Also, the bird cannot tolerate extreme heat, and therefore cannot live in deserts. Thanks to humans, the owl has gained artificial distribution on the islands of New Zealand, the Seychelles and Hawaii. Barn owls prefer to set up their home on open spaces, in swamps and grassy areas.
A barn owl is looking for prey. 
A barn owl soars in the air. 
Photo of a barn owl. 
Barn owl in flight. 
Barn owl in flight. 
Barn owl among wildflowers. 
Barn owl in flight. Reproduction
Basically, barn owls have one pair during their life, less often several. Eggs are laid once or twice a year. The male chooses the place to build the nest. The nest is not built separately, but the most suitable hole in the tree or other dark place is selected. During the period while the female is hatching her offspring, the male takes care of her food. This lasts approximately one month. Typically, the number of hatched eggs is from 4 to 7 units. Young owls begin independent life two months after birth.
What is the life expectancy?
IN wildlife Barn owls can live a maximum of 18 years, while the average is extremely short - only two years.