IT'S A 'HOOT HOOT' AT THE OWL AND
MONKEY HAVEN!
BARN OWL - Colobus guereza
At the Haven we currently look after eight Barn owls. These have come to us for a variety of reasons, the most recent addition being an RSPCA rescue. Sadly this wild Owl had been kept in a parrot cage in the front room of a house. We are currently taking care of the owl until the RSPCA can arrange its release back into the wild.
Barn Owls are not the easiest bird to sex, hence our little mistake with Ollie! Ollie is now known as Olivia when at twenty two months she surprised us by laying some eggs.
ABOUT THE BARN OWL
They do not 'hoot' but instead shriek, hiss and bill-click.
The Barn Owl has also been called Monkey-faced Owl, White Owl, Ghost Owl, and Night Owl.
Barn owls have acute hearing and their ears are asymmetrical, one is level with the nostril and the other is higher nearer the forehead.
They have been associated with omens, witchcraft, and death. Throughout history they were used as symbols, in myths and as part of superstitious potions.
Common Name
Barn Owl
Latin Name
Tyto alba
Conservation status
Amber listed resident. Within the U.K their population has been estimated at 3.5 – 4.5 thousand. Numbers have declined over the past years due to the reduction of derelict buildings and farming method
Habitat
Rough grassland, field margins, hedgerows, woodland edge, farm buildings, churches and sheds
Diet
Small mammals (field and bank voles, common shrew's mice) are the preferred prey species along with small birds
Behavior
Barn Owls are nocturnal and adapt very well to night time hunts although they can be seen hunting just before dusk and early morning. They have very soft feathers aiding their silent flight and exceptionally keen
eyesight and acute hearing enabling them to find and catch small mammals hidden in deep vegetation in the dark
