Barn Owl

Barn Owl

The eastern barn owl is native to southeastern Asia and Australasia. From the 1940s it was a regular vagrant to New Zealand from Australia but was not recorded breeding in New Zealand until 2008 when pair was located breeding in a large pūriri tree on a farm near Kaitaia in Northland. They are now very widely distributed from Northland to South Auckland.

The barn owl is one of the most widely distributed land birds in the world. Owing to their habit of feeding on small mammals they are a favourite of farmers and are often encouraged by erecting nest boxes to support their breeding. By day the Barn Owl roosts in hollow logs, caves or dense trees, and is usually seen alone or in pairs. The preferred habitat is open, often arid country, such as farms, heath and lightly wooded forest.

Barn Owls have no definite breeding season. Breeding takes place mostly in response to food availability and often twice per year. They are normally cavity nesters, but birds sometimes nest in caves or abandoned buildings. The entrance hole is usually 15 to 25 m above the ground, though the nest chamber may be up to 10 m down inside the tree. No nest material is used, except a few old pellets, which are the regurgitated indigestible leftovers of small mammals and other prey.

The pale white eggs are laid at two-day intervals. The female alone incubates the eggs, but both parents care for the young. The young will perch in the vicinity of the nest site and be fed by the adults for a further month or so after leaving the nest.

Like in Australia, barn owls appear to breed year round in New Zealand – possibly every four to five months. They can lay up to seven eggs, but to date no more than three chicks have been seen fledging the nest at any one time in New Zealand.

Barn Owls feed mostly on small mammals, mainly rodents, and birds, but some insects, frogs and lizards are also eaten. One of the more favoured foods is the introduced House Mouse, Mus musculus. Barn Owls hunt in flight, searching for prey on the ground using their exceptional hearing. The heart-shaped structure of the facial disc is unique to these types of owls. The slightest sound waves are channelled toward the ears, allowing the owl to pinpoint prey even in complete darkness.

Barn owls have been recorded feeding mostly on mice and rats in New Zealand, but they have also been found to feed on small farmland birds such as Greenfinch. They probably also take large insects when available.

Like morepork, barn owls are able to fly silently and hunt in complete darkness. They hunt either by sitting on a perch and waiting, or by quietly quartering the ground with wings held in a shallow ‘v’ much like a harrier. Amazingly they are able to turn their heads almost all the way around! This removes the need to turn their body on their perch and risk disturbing the prey that they are keenly listening for.

When threatened, the Barn Owl crouches down and spreads its wings.

Barn Owls are generally quiet, the common call being a 12 second rough, hissing screech. Less frequently, birds give whistling and wheezing notes and some snapping and bill clacking during mating and threat displays.