OWLS are in the odd position of being the most popular and most loved bird species in some societies and the most feared and maligned in others. There are countless fables and legends about them, and they are often depicted as being very wise and intelligent but there are also many legends that portray them as dark creatures of the night and harbingers of bad luck. Barn Owls are the most common owl species in the world and therefore carry the flag for the entire owl family.
Description
These birds are medium-sized, between 30cm to 33cm in length. Males at around 410g are heavier than females which average at 365g. The upper part of the body is golden brown or pale grey, mostly streaked and with fine black and white spots. The underparts are a pale white with small black or brown spots. Their legs are densely covered with feathers. However, it is the pale white, heart-shaped facial disc that stands out and makes a strong statement often giving the owls a ghostly appearance. Both sexes are very similar looking and difficult to tell apart.
Distribution
Barn Owls are the most common owls in the world and can be found on all continents, except for Antarctica. In our area, we have the Western Barn Owl and they occur throughout the Highway area.
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Habitat
The availability of food dictates their presence, and they can be found in most habitats where food is available. They do prefer open habitats such as grasslands or lightly wooded areas, but are also at home in desert areas and evergreen forests.
Feeding
Western Barn Owls are night hunters and feed primarily on rats, shrews, mice and, sometimes, hares. They will opportunistically feed on insects, frogs, lizards, small birds and even termites. They swallow their prey whole and later regurgitate the undigestible bits in the form of pellets.
Breeding
This species has adapted remarkably well to humans and will nest in disused buildings or even in used buildings where they find a gap in a wall. They are monogamous and pair for life and they often nest in the same spot over many years.
The female can lay up to 13 eggs spread over a 26-day period. Their breeding method is to stagger egg laying, so you always have chicks that range in size but somehow, if there is enough food, they all fledge. Incubation is done by the female and takes between 29 and 34 days.
Predators and threats
They are not considered a threatened species, but they often fall victim to indirect poisoning when they eat rodents that have been killed by humans using poisons such as rat poison. If you have a rat problem, we strongly recommend you use the many effective alternative options to poison. One option is to encourage owls into your garden by placing an owl box in a suitable spot and allowing the owls to control the rodents.
Owls often feed on roadkill and are easily dazzled by car headlights at night and are often run over and killed.
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Local information
As they are night birds, they are not seen very often but we know they are here due to their loud screeching calls.
Although common in the Highway area, they are outnumbered by the much larger Spotted Eagle Owl that will be covered in another issue.
Interesting facts
The Barn Owl has been nicknamed the ‘ghost owl’ because of its spine-chilling call, its habit of roosting in disused buildings and because of the ghostly appearance that is emphasised by its pale white facial disc.
Barn Owls, like most owls are nocturnal creatures and have specially adapted wings to help them fly extremely fast and quietly. They have comb-like structures called serrations on the edges of the wings. These help the airflow to move with minimal sound and enables the owls to ‘appear out of nowhere’ and catch their prey by total surprise.
Support:
To support the ongoing work of the Kloof Conservancy, visit its website at https://www.kloofconservancy.org.za.
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