Bird
Barn Owl
Tyto alba
The Barn Owl is a medium sized raptor with long, rounded wings and a short, square tail. These birds have distinct heads with a white heart-shaped faces which are outlined by a brownish colour. The feathers at the upper surface of the body appear mostly to be golden with fine greyish streaks and dark spots. They have incredibly long slim legs that are sparsely feathered down to their grey toes whi
Description
The Barn Owl is a medium sized raptor with long, rounded wings and a short, square tail. These birds have distinct heads with a white heart-shaped faces which are outlined by a brownish colour. The feathers at the upper surface of the body appear mostly to be golden with fine greyish streaks and dark spots. They have incredibly long slim legs that are sparsely feathered down to their grey toes which aids them in flying. The eyes are black and outlined by brown, their beaks are very small, hooked-shaped and off white, which is used for tearing meat. Their eyes are twice as light sensitive as ours, giving them superior night vision. They have long toes, sharp talons and powerful feet for catching prey. Ear openings on a Barn Owls head are asymmetrical, the left ear is slightly above the eyes whereas the right ear is slightly below the eyes. During flight their left ear captures sounds below while the right ear focuses on sounds from above. Owl's eyes look foward in a fixed position and cannot move from side to side, in order to see around, the Owl must turn its entire head. Barn owls swallow their prey whole including bones, fur and claws, then regurgitate tough undigested matter into what is called an owl pellet. Barn owls have very soft feathers, their 3ft wingspan let them quietly glide rather than flap, when flying through the air they don't make a sound, this allows them to sneak up on prey. Barn owls hunt at night and although they have very good vision, they rely mostly on their sense of hearing. Barn owls are monogamous (mate for life), nocturnal and solitary birds.
Fun Facts
Barn Owls are the most widely distributed species of Owl in the world and one of the most widespread species of bird, being found almost everywhere except Antarctica and desert regions. Barn Owls do not hoot instead produces a piercing scream, an eerie long drawn out shriek and they can even hiss.