Facts about Barn Owl

1. 07

   Hunting success rates for barn owls exceed 90 percent when striking at rodent prey, making them among the most efficient predators in the animal kingdom.

   Barn OwlMay 14sharehuntingbiologymeasurement
2. 06

   Tyto alba produces up to eight chicks per clutch, with incubation lasting 29 to 34 days and fledging occurring at approximately 50 to 60 days old.

   Barn OwlMay 14sharebiologyreproductionmeasurement
3. 05

   Worldwide populations of barn owls have declined by approximately 30 percent since the 1990s due to intensive agricultural practices and rodenticide use eliminating their food sources.

   Barn OwlMay 14shareconservationpopulationagriculture
4. 04

   Barn owls can hunt in complete darkness using only sound, detecting rodents moving beneath snow or leaf litter up to 30 centimeters underground.

   Barn OwlMay 14sharebiologyhuntingsensory
5. 03

   Silent flight in barn owls results from specialized feather structures called comb-like serrations that reduce turbulence noise to below 30 decibels during hunting dives.

   Barn OwlMay 14sharebiologyadaptationacoustics
6. 02

   A barn owl's eyes are fixed forward in their sockets, requiring them to rotate their heads up to 270 degrees to see behind themselves.

   Barn OwlMay 14shareanatomybiologyvision
7. 01

   Heart-shaped facial discs allow barn owls to pinpoint prey sounds with precision up to 0.3 degrees of accuracy in complete darkness.

   Barn OwlMay 14sharebiologysensoryanatomy