Some key features of barn owls make them one of the most striking birds. Their distinctive appearance and hunting habits make them very popular among bird lovers and nature watchers.
They are a globally distributed bird that mainly inhabits the following areas:
North America: The barn owl is widely distributed in North America, including the United States, Canada, and Mexico. They build nests and breed in open areas such as grasslands, farmlands, and river edges in North America.
Europe: The barn owl is one of the most common owls on the European continent. They inhabit all over Europe and can be found from Great Britain and Ireland to Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean.
Asia: The barn owl is found in many parts of Asia, including the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Northeast Asia. They have found suitable habitats in places such as forests, river valleys, and farmlands in Asia.
Africa: The barn owl has a wide range in Africa, from the fringes of the sub-Saharan desert to the grasslands and forests of southern Africa. They seek habitat in open areas of Africa where trees are sparse.
Australia: The Barn Owl is also found in Australia, especially in the southern and eastern parts of the continent. They like to inhabit farmlands, meadows, tree hollows, and barns in coastal areas.
It should be noted that the distribution range of the barn owl may vary according to the environment and seasonal changes in different regions, but they are a bird with a global distribution.
The Barn Owl is a charming owl with the following characteristics:
1. Appearance: Barn owls have a unique appearance. They have an elongated body and a relatively large head with facial features without a prominent crest.
Their plumage is usually dark in color, sometimes with taupe or white markings. The barn owl has a very distinctive facial feature with a round, mostly white, heart-shaped or heart-shaped face.
2. Sound: Barn owls are known for their distinctive calls. The sound they make is a buzzing or squealing bass. The call is quite loud and catchy and is often described as similar to a ghostly call.
3. Hunting Habits: Barn owls are excellent hunters and feed mainly on small mammals. They have excellent hearing and vision and can easily catch prey in the dark. Barn owls are usually nocturnal, and their hunting behavior is very silent, approaching their prey silently.
4. Habitat: Barn owls are widely distributed around the world, including North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. They mainly inhabit farmlands, grasslands, forests, river edges, and other open areas, especially like to inhabit places such as barns, abandoned buildings, and tree holes.
5. Breeding habits: Barn owls are usually monogamous and they have strong family bonds. They will choose a suitable nest, such as a barn, tree hole, or rock gap, and breed there. The female owl lays one or more eggs, and both sexes incubate and care for the hatched chicks.
6. Flying ability: Barn owls have excellent flying ability. With a wingspan of up to 1.1 meters, they are the largest of the owls. Their wings are broad and rounded in shape, allowing them to hover and hover at low altitudes to better locate and catch prey.
7. Silent flight: The wing feathers of barn owls have a special structure that allows them to fly silently. This means they fly with barely any wing flapping, allowing them to approach prey silently.
8. Ecological role: Barn owls play an important role in the ecosystem. As predators, they control the populations of small mammals and help maintain ecological balance. In addition, their nests also provide habitat for other animals, such as snakes, rabbits, and other birds.
9. Adaptability: Barn owls have excellent adaptability. They can adapt to a variety of environmental conditions and can be found in grasslands to marshes, from farmland to areas near cities.
10. Threatened: Despite their widespread global distribution, barn owls face several threats. Habitat destruction, the use of chemical pesticides, and traffic accidents may all affect their survival. Therefore, work to protect barn owls and their habitats is vital to ensure they can continue to multiply and thrive in the future.
The barn owl is a fascinating bird that attracts attention for its unique appearance, hunting habits, and ecological role. By better understanding and protecting this species, we can contribute to biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.