Where Do Barn Owls Live?

What makes Barn Owls unique and why are they a valuable species from which to learn? In this section, we’ll discuss some of the physical characteristics and behaviors that make Barn Owls such interesting members of the bird world, and we’ll explore owls’ important roles in pest management and science education.

Habitat

HABITAT hab·i·tat habə·tat/ noun The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.

Where Do Barn Owls Live?

The Barn Owl is found nearly world-wide in countries with moderate climates — conditions where harsh temperatures and conditions do not present a threat to their reproduction process. Overall, Barn Owls are plentiful in number, useful in rodent population control, and a vital member of many different ecosystems. Studies involving Barn Owls reveal vital information to scientists, biologists, and students studying food webs, habitat, and other ecological topics.

Barn Owls are able to live in a variety of homes and places. In our experience, we have found them living everywhere from rock crevices in the Lake District of Northern England to palm fronds along the Southern California coastline. Before barns were constructed across the Americas, the species used trees, bored-out holes in high river banks and any available place that kept their nests and roosts safe from predators. While their name is “Barn” Owl, they are in fact more appropriately recognized by biologists as Tyto alba, cavity dwelling owls. They make good use of natural and man-made environments and turn them into clever niches. Cavities are defined as holes and caves. When it comes to choosing nesting sites, these owls are not too picky. In a natural setting, they will inhabit tree cavities, crevices between the fronds of palm trees or small caves in cliffs and holes in river banks. They readily accept artificial cavities as well and have been found to nest in any snug, quiet enclosure ten or more feet off the ground. These might include rafters, openings between bales of hay, attics and unoccupied rooms in the upper stories of buildings. Other suitable nesting sites may be barrels, steel and plastic drums, and speciallydesigned nesting boxes. As humans populated landscapes in