Courtney Bernickus
Dr. Boyd Anatomy
8/29/11
Barn Owls
Did you know that the first Barn Owl was found in Ohio, in the late 1800's and that they've actually become rare and are now being classified as endangered in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan, but in all the other states in the U.S have a great population of the Barn Owls.

Barn Owls are unique small species of owls that are nocturnal. That have a heart shaped face that’s bright white and black eyes . They are pale, long legged and long winged. Other than the distinct shape of their face there tail is different to other owls as well. There tail in flight has wavy motions with long open legs. The upper parts of the owl are light gray feathers, and also have brown, black, and white speckles on their wings.

The Barn Owls habitat/niche is located in many parts of the world, like polar/dessert/and grassland regions. Barn Owls favorite niches are in open low -flying areas that are below 750 ft elevation and consist of woodlands, groves, farms, fields, canyons, cliff, or towns. The Barn Owl lives underground in burrows or holes in embankments. They also make their nests out of fur, bones, and more from their prey they ate.

Barn Owls eat small rodents like mice, gophers, small birds, bats, frogs, lizards, large insects and even fish. Barn owls are known as "mousers" and closely relate to men, Barn owls are valuable predators. A family of six can eat more than 1000 predators in a year.

Barn Owls have many distinct sounds and others are very quiet. Most adult owls have a great alarm shrieks, a shorter and less intense screech, a conversational call, and a rapid squeaking or ticking, which is usually with a pair.