Description
Life span: 5-10 years
Barn owls have lengthy, sparsely feathered legs and are medium-sized owls. The cranium is enormous and rounded, and there are no ear tufts. Barn owls have rounded wings and short, downy tail feathers that are either white or light brown in hue. The bird’s head and back are light brown with occasional black and white patterns, while its underbelly is a greyish-white color. The appearance of a barn owl is very striking. In comparison to males, females have slightly longer bodies and wings. The wingspan of both males and females is between 107 and 110 cm. With its heart-shaped pale face and dark eyes, this bird has a stunning appearance.
Native Region/Habitat
The most widespread owl species, with the exception of Antarctica, is the barn owl. In areas that are suitable for them, barn owls can be found across South and Central America as well as all of North America, including the far north of the United States and the southwest of British Columbia. In Europe, you can find barn owls in eastern Russia, southern Sweden, and southern Spain. Additionally, they are present throughout all of Africa, central and southern Asia, and Australia.
Behavior
Barn owls can live by themselves or in pairs. They spend the night. They spend the day hiding out in caves, nest boxes, riverbanks, barns, tree holes, and other man-made structures. They spend the night. The barn owl is a skilled hunter. They love to hunt small mammals including mice, voles, shrews, rats, muskrats, hares, and rabbits at night. They could also consume small birds. They are said to spend a lot of time relaxing. The majority of barn owls stay in one location, while some individuals in the northern half of their range move.Only once every year do barn owls procreate. They can reproduce at about any time of the year, depending on the availability of food. The bulk of them begin reproducing at one year old. Most barn owls only have one or two offspring because they only live an average of two years.
As a pet/In captivity
Typically, owls don’t make good pets. If they are damaged and unable to recuperate sufficiently to return to the wild, they may be maintained in captivity. They are uncontrollable. The hand-rearing of some captive-bred birds from the time their eyes open, however, can cause them to become tame. In the United States, private individuals are not permitted to keep native owls as pets.
A bird with training links its human caregiver and food. It can be trained to fly on its own and come back to the hand for food, but it only does this when it is starving. For this, it’s important to monitor the bird’s weight and restrict its food intake. There will be a need for a huge aviary. The price of building and ongoing maintenance must be considered.
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