Common Barn Owl
Tyto alba
CLASS: Aves
ORDER: Strigiformes
FAMILY: Strigidae
SIZE:
17 to 18 inches in length and weighing 1 lb.; wingspan if up to 43 inches
RANGE:
From southern Canada to southern Chile and from the east to west coast in the Western Hemisphere.
HABITAT:
Trees, abandoned burrows and buidings, old abandoned farm machinery in temperate forests and grasslands.
DIET:
Wild - Carnivorous, preferring small rodents; other small mammals
Zoo - Bird of prey diet
DESCRIPTION:
Red brown speckled wings with white body, distinctive heart shaped face; sharp talons and hooked beak. Camouflage helps owl hide during the day.
ADAPTATIONS:
- Nocturnal and arboreal
- Will hunt during the day when feeding young
- Sharp talons for seizing and holding prey
- Hooked beak for tearing meat
- Eyes in front allow depth perception and aids in hunting and avoiding obstacles; neck can turn up to 270 degrees.
ENEMIES:
Great Horned Owl
YOUNG:
- Two broods each year, in early spring and late summer; 4 - 7 eggs hatch after several weeks
- Both parents brood and feed the altricial young; male bringing food to female
- Young mature in 10 - 12 weeks
STATUS:
CITES App. II; Protected in the U.S.; suffers from loss of habitat
REFERENCE:
Lincoln Park Zoo Web Site, animal fact sheet -- http://www.lpzoo.com
