Barn owl young are beginning to take their first flights from their nests in the rural regions. The barn owl’s heart shaped face has also been referred to as monkey faced. The svelte body is covered in buff and brown feathers on the back and white on the abdomen.
The ghost like appearance of a barn owl in the dark of night can be a bit startling and has produced many a haunting tale. The owls use hollow trees, old barns, and belfries as a place to host their nest.
Young barn owls are rather gangly looking and are the ugly duckling of the owl world. It is hard to imagine that this fluffy ball with eyes will eventually look like this graceful adult.
The barn owl population has taken a beating as rural land is gobbled up by suburbia. As the barns and meadows go away so has the habitat for these stunning birds. Unfortunately, barn owls are listed as a threatened species in Ohio.
The number of barn owl eggs laid is proportional to the abundance of food supplies. The more food, the greater the number of young produced. Barn owls eat meadow voles, shrews, mice, and small birds. In fact, you can get an Owl Pellet Kit
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Barn owl nesting boxes have been employed by the state wildlife agencies in an effort to supplies suitable nesting habitat and increase the barn owl population. If you have a barn or other tall structure on rural land with wet meadow, hay, and lightly-grazed pasture habitats then consider building and placing a nesting box in your land. For more detailed how-to information, go to http://fw.ky.gov/pdf/barnowlboxes2010.pdf.
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