Owls of Ohio - Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Owls of Ohio - Ohio Department of Natural Resources Owls of Ohio - Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Barn owlTyto alba (Tie-toe [a night owl] al-bah [white])TRACKS2-6This species has the broadest distribution of any owl,ranging nearly worldwide. In addition to being foundacross North America as far north as southern Canada,they occur in Africa and Eurasia – even Australia. Noowl is more intimately associated with people, and thecommon name is apropos, as this species often nestsin barns or other man-made structures. Adaptabilityto human civilization coupled with an incredibleability to locate and capture small mammals underthe darkest conditions have allowed the barn owl tocolonize such a broad range. However, they havedeclined precipitously in parts of northern NorthAmerica in recent decades.D e s cripti o n barn owlLength = 16 inchesWingspan = 3.5 feetWeight = 1 lb.Sometimes called the “monkey-faced owl,” withgood cause. Barn owls have a white, heart-shaped facethat is monkey-like, and their head appears quite largein relation to the body. They lack ear tufts. This is oneof Ohio’s two owl species with dark eyes, the barred owlbeing the other. They are very white below, and a tawnybrown above. In flight, barn owls seen from below appearvery pale ghostly white. When perched, their long legs arevery evident. With a good look they are unmistakable.Photo by: ODNR Division of Wildlife / Tim Daniel
C O M M O N O W L S O F O H I O 13O H I O S TAT U S barn owlBarn owls have had a fluctuating history of abundance inOhio. They are not found in heavily forested regions, and priorto European settlement 95% of Ohio was blanketed by old-growthforests. If barn owls were present pre-settlement, they would havebeen rare and confined to the limited areas of prairie and marsh.As settlement of eastern North American and Ohio progressed,forests were felled and the landscape was opened up for agriculture,greatly benefiting barn owls and allowing them to expand northward.They were first recorded here in the mid-1800s, and populations peakedin Ohio in the 1930s, by which time they had been documented in 84of our 88 counties. Early Ohio ornithologist Lawrence Hicks describedthem as being Ohio’s second most common owl at this time, after theEastern screech-owl – a status nearly incomprehensible today, given theirgreat rarity.By the mid-1900s, they were in steep decline, and the populationbottomed out around 1990, with a statewide population of perhaps oneor two dozen nesting pairs. Today, barn owls are listed as threatened bythe Ohio Division of Wildlife, but programs by the Division and otherinterested parties have increased populations substantially. By placingnest boxes in suitable structures near good foraging habitat, Ohio’s barnowl population has increased to 50 pairs or so.Hab itat barn owlBarn owls require extensive tracts of grasslands, marshes, andmeadows to forage. This is a primary reason for their decline;agricultural practices have become much “neater” and there are notnearly as many fallow fields and untilled land as there was when theywere at their peak. It is likely that good grasslands must be older andestablished to provide maximum benefit, as they must support viablepopulations of voles and mice, the major prey of barn owls. Theremust also be suitable nest sites nearby, and this is another limitingfactor.Photo by: ODNR Division of Wildlife / Tim Daniel
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- Page 5 and 6: with both eyes simultaneously. Anot
- Page 7 and 8: M o d i fi ed Fe ath er s owl morph
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- Page 17 and 18: BTRACKS7-12arred owlStrix varia (St
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- Page 21 and 22: Eastern screech-owlMegascops asio (
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- Page 25 and 26: Great horned owlBubo virginianus (B
- Page 27 and 28: Normally solitary except during the
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- Page 35 and 36: Northern saw-whet owlAegolius acadi
- Page 37 and 38: likely. When one is found, a very c
- Page 39 and 40: Short-eared owlAsio flammeus (Ay-se
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- Page 49 and 50: Like the Northern hawk owl and grea
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- Page 55 and 56: This small owl has a broad but spot
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- Page 61 and 62: Publication FundingFunding for this
C O M M O N O W L S O F O H I O 13O H I O S TAT U S barn owlBarn owls have had a fluctuating history <strong>of</strong> abundance in<strong>Ohio</strong>. They are not found in heavily forested regions, and priorto European settlement 95% <strong>of</strong> <strong>Ohio</strong> was blanketed by old-growthforests. If barn owls were present pre-settlement, they would havebeen rare and confined to the limited areas <strong>of</strong> prairie and marsh.As settlement <strong>of</strong> eastern North American and <strong>Ohio</strong> progressed,forests were felled and the landscape was opened up for agriculture,greatly benefiting barn owls and allowing them to expand northward.They were first recorded here in the mid-1800s, and populations peakedin <strong>Ohio</strong> in the 1930s, by which time they had been documented in 84<strong>of</strong> our 88 counties. Early <strong>Ohio</strong> ornithologist Lawrence Hicks describedthem as being <strong>Ohio</strong>’s second most common owl at this time, after theEastern screech-owl – a status nearly incomprehensible today, given theirgreat rarity.By the mid-1900s, they were in steep decline, and the populationbottomed out around 1990, with a statewide population <strong>of</strong> perhaps oneor two dozen nesting pairs. Today, barn owls are listed as threatened bythe <strong>Ohio</strong> Division <strong>of</strong> Wildlife, but programs by the Division and otherinterested parties have increased populations substantially. By placingnest boxes in suitable structures near good foraging habitat, <strong>Ohio</strong>’s barnowl population has increased to 50 pairs or so.Hab itat barn owlBarn owls require extensive tracts <strong>of</strong> grasslands, marshes, andmeadows to forage. This is a primary reason for their decline;agricultural practices have become much “neater” and there are notnearly as many fallow fields and untilled land as there was when theywere at their peak. It is likely that good grasslands must be older andestablished to provide maximum benefit, as they must support viablepopulations <strong>of</strong> voles and mice, the major prey <strong>of</strong> barn owls. Theremust also be suitable nest sites nearby, and this is another limitingfactor.Photo by: ODNR Division <strong>of</strong> Wildlife / Tim Daniel
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