i wish for more videos like this on youtube and less crap.... what an amazing animal. i live in Israel and always knew what barn owls were, theyre around here alot farmers use them and when you see one flying at night or should i say gliding... its just breathtaking what a majestic creature
I am a huge fan of owls, Barn Owls are my favorite. Once, when i was at school my nan and my brothers were off school, they went to an owl sanctuary just to make e jealous!
I just saw my first barn owl today looking right towards my kitchen window. I was so startled because of its amazing beauty. At least 12-14 in. tall perched on a silver maple tree limb. I live in a rural country setting of nature's beauty.
My wife and I live near a lake with a lot of trees. Two baby Barn Owls apparently fell out of their nest and landed in our yard. Our dog had them cornered before we intervened - the owls were screaming and the dog was barking. The owls were so young they could not fly yet. But they sure could scream! We rescued them from our dog and brought them in our house. I dropped a towel on them and they quickly calmed down. We put them in our guest bathroom behind the shower doors in the bathtub. We kept them for 2 weeks. We fed them feeder mice starting with "pinkies" then "fuzzies". Eventually, we upgraded their diet to "hoppers". Just before we let the owls go, we fed them live small adult mice. They gobbled them up. We let the owls go a few days ago. We thought we'd never see them again. The very next night (to our delight) both of them returned to a tree nearest our house. They were squawking like crazy standing side by side, wing to wing. Right after sunset they return to our trees and start their hunting activity. We feel very lucky that we had the opportunity to save those helpless little guys. Apparently, our home has become their home.
They're four barn owls that live near me in a water shed. They have a nest box for their babies that a boy made for his Eagle Scout. They let me get really close (but not too close.) I love watching them. Cute birds! Love their screeching too! I'm sad that their declining :( I got to see one catch a rat, which was so cool!!
Thank you for showing us this lovely wee Owl. Am lucky enough to live very close to two Sanctuaries in Scotland so I pop along to see them when I can. Hopefully will have some spare cash soon to adopt one from your website!
Just come back from holiday in Pathos,Cyprus & saw a barn owl fly over my hotel balcony at night.It was an amazing sight to see as it flew from a tree straight over me about 20 feet above me.First time I have ever seen one at night flying.A beautiful looking bird.After reading up on the internet I see that they use the Owls in cyprus as a form of pest control to protect Carob trees from rodents etc.
A few years ago, during the very first few minutes of December 25th, I decided to take a walk along Cambois beach. Nearby is a bench where I sat to enjoy the moment and as I did, something in the distance caught my attention. I thought it was a sea-gull at first but it started towards me and it soon became it apparant that it was in fact a barn owl. There wasn't a sound as it flew by me and it kept eye contact the whole way.
Beautiful! I saw one flying over my home earlier. They seem to do pretty good out here in deep south texas. Barley any rain, lots of tall grass and Pine Trees and average winter temperatures are 65 degrees Faraheit.
I saw my first pair today. It was a true Christmas Miracle! I was grazing my horse in a "scary" part of the woods, when I first saw the first one. He was gigantic....much bigger than the one shown in the video. However, He was perched next to the horse filed that has never been used. It has long grass....mown only once or twice a year. I saw this beauty at 2 pm today, when He flew away I finally noticed his mate, invisible in the trees until it turned around and flew away too. So amazingly beautiful!
The UK's efforts to conserve barn owls are incredibly inspiring. Where I live, in the eastern United States, the North American barn owl (once considered to be the same species as the western European barn owl) is incredibly rare, and where it does occur, highly localized and in small numbers. I've only ever seen a single barn owl in my hometown of New York City. I wish we treated our wildlife and our ecology as being culturally significant, vital to our human heritage, and worth preserving... even if it means spending some money and re-examining our priorities... rather than just being useless if they don't generate capital wealth.
Thanks for your interesting comment. We are a very small charity and our work is entirely supported by donations - Thankfully there are people who value wildlife. However, we get no government help and sadly the dismissive attitude you describe can also often be found here in the UK. :(
Barn Owls and people have lived closely side by side for thousands of years - with some planning and thought we can continue to do so - and hopefully bring some awareness to the needs of other wildlife and how to live without destroying the environment that we all depend upon.
Hi RedStarWolf - Barn Owls are usually seen in open country rather than woods. Have a listen to our Owl sounds (Go to our website -> Information & Downloads -> Audio & Video Directory) to find out whether it is Barn Owls you are hearing - they screech rather than hoot. Main roads are a major hazard - if possible, we recommend high hedges to prevent owls flying low. (See Major Roads & Barn Owls)
Hi FemmiKenny! Thank you for your enquiry, we have to be careful when using the word endangered, it usually means in danger of extinction. This isn't considered to be the case for any mainland sub-species. However Barn Owls have certainly declined in numerous countries including Britain, they are protected and we would like to see the numbers increasing
Barn Owls are very variable in the hours they are awake. This owl is Bailey - a captive bred Barn Owl, who is never tethered and voluntarily accompanies the Barn Owl Trust conservation team on our visits to schools. More info on the Barn Owl Trust website.
A fully grown Barn Owl stands about 25cm tall (from head to feet) and is about 33-35cm from the top of its head to the tip of its tail. The wings (spanning 85cm) are much bigger than the body. Find out all about BarnOwls on our website.
This is David - our Head of Conservation at the Barn Owl Trust - find out more from our website: (About the Trust -> Staff and Volunteers) If you are interseted in working with owls and birds, the best way to start is to volunteer at a local wildlife sanctuary or rescue centre.
You can keep a captive bred owl in the UK, with an Article 10 license issued by DEFRA - However there are a number of things that should be given serious thought before deciding to take on a captive Barn Owl. We have lots of useful information on our website - please go to 'Information & Downloads' (in the top menu) ->Thinking of having a captive Barn Owl?
Wild Barn Owls are very shy of humans and not usually aggressive. If handling one - for instance because it is injured - you do have to be careful of its razor sharp talons. They are not recommended as pets. More info on the Barn Owl Trust website.
@BarnOwlTrust1 Have you ever heard about the story of a barn owl caleld Wesley? He was adopted by a lady living in Southern California and lived for nearly 20 years. It's an amazing story :)
There are a number of things that should be given serious thought before deciding to take on a captive Barn Owl. If you have a look at the Barn Owl Trust website under Information & Downloads -> Thinking of having a captive Barn Owl? you will find lots of useful information.
All Barn Owls use both methods of eating - usually they swallow small mammals whole, but sometimes they tear the prey to pieces, and this is how they feed their young. In this case, the mother Barn Owl may be protecting the eggs which could suddenly get jolted if she throws her head back to swallow the prey. When the eggs hatch she will be feeding the owlets with small pieces of prey - so it may also be that this behaviour is beginning to kick in already - even before her eggs have hatched.
I recently saw an owl at night I couldn't identify, it was white and dark greyish wings. Could it have been a barn owl? I saw it in northern part of Pinal, Arizona
Barn Owls are lovely - and they can be found all over the world! In the UK they are rather difficult to see, as their numbers have declined here over the past 50 years, which is why we work to conserve wild Barn Owls and their environment.
I looked at barn owl nest webcam. Mama owl was there with eggs. She was eating by pulling small pieces off her prey. But I was told that owls swallow their prey whole and then later...discard pellets in which you can find bones and fur of the prey. Is that done by another species?
i would love to, but with things as they are i wouldn't be able to give it the attention it would need. so, doing the right thing and just enjoying watching them when i can or on here (youtube)
There are a number of things that should be given serious thought before deciding to take on a captive Barn Owl. We have lots of useful information on our website -go to Information & Downloads (in the top menu) ->Thinking of having a captive Barn Owl?
It depends on whether your area is suitable for Barn Owls. If you have seen them around, then probably you have a good chance. Otherwise it would be best to ask a local wildlife or owl group - our advice is mainly for the UK. Hope this helps - good luck!
Hi Mikelle Thanks for your question - we're not falconry experts - but we have heard that Barn Owls are not particularly reliable or easy to train. It might be a good idea to ask this question of a local falconry expert, who would be able to give you better advice. Good Luck!
Hi Nick - it's difficult to say without local information. Barn Owls tend to be brown, rather than grey - but they do vary a lot. They are birds of open fields (not woodlands) and they screech (they don't hoot). It might be best to ask a local wildlife or birding group, who will have expert local knowledge. Good luck!
