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Tyto alba
Size: |
13.5 inches (35 cm) |
Habitat: |
Farmland and open countryside |
Feeding: |
Small animals (mice, shrews, voles, moles) and birds |
Eggs: |
4 - 6 white eggs laid April to early May,
incubation about 30 days |
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Barn Owl |
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We have only once seen this beautiful bird in the garden. But
with it's distinctive white, heart-shaped face, there was no
mistaking it caught in the headlights one dark night.
Barn owls are a golden buff colour with a white face and a
small beak. Their distinctive facial discs which give it the
heart-shaped appearance actually take in sounds all around the
bird which it processes through its ears.
The male has a pure white chest and the female has dark
speckles.
Barn owls are in decline in Britain. There are currently
thought to be about 4-5,000 pairs.
A few years ago we put up a couple of barn owl nesting
boxes, but we have not seen them in use yet. |
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Barn Owl |
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Barn Owl |
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