owl

=Barn Owl=
 * //Tyto alba//**

contributed Bradley10
**Description:** The Upperparts are light grey with numerous fine dark lines and scattered pale spots on the feathers. There are buff markings on wings and on the back. The underparts are white with a few black spots, occasionally none. Feathering on the lower legs may be sparse. The heart-shaped facial disc is white with a brownish edge, with brown marks at the front of the eyes, which have a black [|http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Tyto&species=alba#|iris]. Its beak is off-white and the feet are yellowish-white to brownish. Males and females are similar in size and colour, females and juveniles are generally more densely spotted.

Male: Length 32-38cm (12.5-15") Wingspan 107cm (42") Weight 470g (15.5oz)[|[[http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Tyto&species=alba| http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Tyto&species=alba] ]]
 * Size:** Female: Length 34-40cm (13.5-15.5") Wingspan 110cm (43") Weight 570g (20oz)


 * Diet:** Here is a partial list of owl prey. Bear in mind that larger species of owls generally eat larger prey (like squirrels) and smaller species of owls generally eat smaller prey (like insects).

[|www.carolina.com/owls/guide/diet.asp]
 * • || ants || • || flying squirrels || • || raccoons ||
 * • || armadillos || • || frogs || • || rats ||
 * • || bats || • || grasshoppers || • || roaches ||
 * • || bees || • || hares || • || salamanders ||
 * • || beetles || • || lemmings || • || scorpions ||
 * • || birds || • || lizards || • || shrews ||
 * • || butterflies || • || mice || • || skunks ||
 * • || caterpillars || • || millipedes || • || snakes ||
 * • || centipedes || • || moles || • || spiders ||
 * • || chipmunks || • || moths || • || squirrels ||
 * • || cicadas || • || muskrats || • || toads ||
 * • || crayfish || • || opossums || • || turtles ||
 * • || crickets || • || pocket gophers || • || voles ||
 * • || earthworms || • || porcupines || • || weasels ||
 * • || fish || • || prairie dogs || • || woodchucks ||
 * • || flies || • || rabbits ||


 * Population:**

1-5 years. In a more protected & safer environment a Barn Owl can live up to 20-25 years. http://www.barnowl.co.uk/owl/wowl/wbarnowl.asp
 * Lifespan:** The life span of a Barn Owl in the wild can average anywhere from

http://www.peregrinefund.org/Explore_Raptors/owls/barnowl.html
 * HABITAT:** Barn Owls are nearly cosmopolitan, living in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and Australia. Their northern range is limited by the severity of winter weather and food availability. These owls prefer open lowlands with some trees, including farmlands, plantations, urban areas, various forest types, semiarid shrub lands, and marshes.

http://www.eraptors.org/barnowl-range.htm
 * Range** – One of the most widespread of all birds, the Barn Owl is resident throughout North America except in the northern Rockies and northern Great Plains, and extending south down to the tip of South America. Other races of Barn Owls occur throughout the world.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/UW216
 * Offspring:** Eggs are laid between February and June, depending on locality and climate. In Florida, eggs are usually laid in February. In subtropical and tropical areas, including southern Florida, a second set of offspring are produced in the late summer or fall. The average number of eggs produced is 4-6, but extremes of more than 10 eggs in a single nest have been observed. Eggs are laid 2 or 3 days apart and hatch in that same sequence. As a result, there is always an age difference of a few days between each chick. This ensures that at least a few of the chicks, because they are older and stronger, will always be fed if food becomes scarce. If food is plentiful, all of the chicks will be able to eat. Chicks grow rapidly, achieving adult weight and feathering in 8-9 weeks. At this point they roost near the nest while learning to fly and hunt. Their parents still bring food to them for another few weeks until they become fully independent.

http://www.peregrinefund.org/Explore_Raptors/owls/barnowl.html
 * Facts:**
 * Barn Owls have been associated with omens, witchcraft, and death. Throughout history they were used as symbols, in myths, and as part of superstitious potions.
 * During laboratory experimentation, Barn Owls have shown that by using their hearing they can catch prey in total darkness.
 * Of all the owls studied, the Barn Owl shows the best ability to discern exactly where a sound is coming from, and is able to memorize the complex sounds associated with a certain type of prey.