Did you know that there are numerous species of owls? Neither did I! Thank you for stopping by to learn more about these amazing creatures and check out all the cool Barn Owl facts for kids! Barn Owls are the medium-sized raptor owls found in most parts of the world. You can spot them on all continents besides Antarctica. Barn Owl stands out with its heart-shaped face. It is white with small brown spots on its chest and Black and white spots on its back.
Barn Owls are known for their strong talons and hooked upper beak. It makes them good hunters. Like most of the owls, Barn Owl is nocturnal. You may have heard that owls usually hoot. The Barn Owl makes a ‘Shree’ sound instead. It almost hisses like a snake when it senses danger!
Do you want to learn more about this fascinating creature? Read on to learn more fun barn owl facts for kids.
Quick Facts About Barn Owls
There’s a lot to learn about barn owls, here are some common facts about them.
- Scientific Name: Tyto alba
- Other Name: Common Barn Owl
- Size: 32 to 40 cm
- Weight: 430 to 620 grams
- Wingspan: 107 to 110 cm
- Diet: Carnivore
- Call: Drawn out, hissing scream
Barn Owl Facts For Kids
- A Barn Owl is not territorial. Its territory is usually of five hectares and overlaps with the region of another Barn Owl.
- Barn Owl eats mice, voles, and shrews.
- Barn Owls do not chew or bite their food. They swallow it whole.
- A Barn Owl does not hoot like other owls. It instead makes a high-pitched screeching sound and hisses when there is a threat.
- A Barn Owl has long legs, feet, and talons. It helps them to catch the prey that hides among long grass.
- Barn Owls hunt at night. They can expertly catch mice and voles in pitch-black darkness as well.
- Barn Owls have excellent sight and highly-sensitive hearing capacity. It makes hunting in the dark very easy for them.
- If you love owls, make sure to also check out some fun Snowy Owl Facts on cool facts for kids!
- A Barn Owl has very soft feathers that allow them to hunt silently. Their feathers are, however, not waterproof and get soaked during rain.
- One ear of a Barn Owl is higher than the other ear. With the help of this, it can precisely pinpoint low sound sources.
- To survive and breed, one Barn Owl has to eat about five thousand prey each year.
- A Barn Owl has almost the same size as that of a small cat. It, however, only weighs a pound.
- Barn Owl chicks frequently feed each other in the nest. Such behavior is infrequent and almost unusual for birds.
- Barn Owls survive for about 5 to 10 years in the wild.
Barn Owl Facts For Kids Video
Check out this video to see some interesting facts about the mysterious Barn Owl!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohqEquNnzfU
More Fun Facts About The Barn Owl
Barn Owls do not build a real nest—most of the debris around the nest region forms in a depression. Barn Owls build them in tree hollows, cavities of cliffs, nest boxes, and buildings.
How will you know if A Barn Owl is male or female with just a glance? Male and Female Barn Owls are very similar in color. The female ones are darker, larger, and have more spots than males.
Young Barn Owls begin flying after 60 days. They usually come back to their nest site about a few weeks later.
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Barn Owl Questions and Answers
It’s now time for a little Barn Owl Question and Answers session. You might be having the same queries as many other people, with these answers you can learn more about Barn Owls!
How Long Do Barn Owls Live?
Most Barn Owls do not have a very long life. Many of them survive for one breeding season alone. The lifespan of Barn Owls is usually around 20 years. They tend to have a longer life in captivity. The mean lifespan is, however, only around four years. The oldest Barn Owl lived for 34 years.
Why Do Barn Owls Screech at Night?
Barn Owls are nocturnal animals. It means that they are active during the night and sleep at daytime. They hunt their prey in the dark.Barn Owls have excellent eyesight and can quickly spot prey in the darkness. They are also known for their highly-sensitive hearing capabilities. It allows them to hear little noises and locate the target.
A Barn Owl does not hoot like other owls. It instead makes a high-pitched screech and hisses whenever it senses any danger.
Why Do Farmers Like Barn Owls?
Barn Owls are carnivorous. They are the natural predators of rodents such as mice and voles. Farmers like Barn Owls because they consume all the rodents present on the farm. Barn Owls are valuable to farmers because they keep the rodent population under control.
Barn Owls are more tolerant towards human activity in comparison to any other predatory bird. They usually stay at farms even during the heavy farm equipment noises.
Why Are Barn Owls Endangered?
The population of Barn Owls is drastically decreasing in some regions. In some areas, it is snowing more than usual. With more snow on the ground, it becomes difficult for Barn Owls to survive and find food. Many farmers now use pesticides to kill pests and weeds. Most of the Barn Owls get poisoned by these pesticides.
There are fewer nesting sites for Barn Owls on farms. The rodent population at farms is becoming less. With no proper food and habitat, Barn Owls are at risk of being endangered.
Fun Barn Owl Gift Ideas On Amazon
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Final Thoughts On The Barn Owl
I hope that you have now learned a lot of fun facts about Barn Owls with these interesting Barn Owl facts for kids. Now that you know so much about them, would you also like to help them? If you do want to help out Barn Owls, click here for information about conservation!
Thank you for stopping by to learn all about Barn Owls. If you would like to know many more interesting facts for kids, our website has plenty of them. Make sure to check them out and learn many fascinating facts.