BARN
OWL
#BNL-400
Notecards Only
Also available in Notecard Assortment Packs #AST-401
, #AST-402 & #AST-403
A
heart shaped set of facial disks distinguishes the barn owl from
all other owls. The dark eyes are smaller but no less keen than
those of typical owls. Experiments have proven that the barn owl
can locate a dead mouse in light one hundred times dimmer than that
needed by the human eye. Indeed, the barn owl can capture a live
mouse in total darkness. How? The tuftless ears home in on the weak
noises made by the scurrying prey.
The
barn owl needs every hunting advantage it can get, particularly
when raising a typical brood of three to six chicks. The growing
chicks, which remain dependent on their parents for about sixteen
weeks after hatching, can easily consume their own weight in food
every day. Prolific breeders, barn owls commonly hatch two broods
each year. The barn owl’s raspy screech is seldom heard outside
of the breeding season, which is February through August.
Flitting
like a huge moth over a field in the moonlight, this nocturnal hunter
often seems very white from below. Plumage on the upper parts appears
sandy brown, interspersed with blue-gray and white. The adult barn
owl grows to a height of 14 to 20 inches.
As
agriculture opened up U.S. forests in the 19th century, the barn
owl’s range expanded. The recent reduction of grasslands through
urbanization has been accompanied by a reduction in the number of
barn owls. Worldwide, eleven species of barn owls favor quiet roosting
sites such as tree cavities, caves, church steeples, and, of course,
barns.
Text © 1997 Terry White, Drawing ©
1997 Bill Harrah
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. . BIRDS OF PREY . . . (Click on an image to
see the actual notecard size)