Barn Owl relaxed at Dusk

Barn Owls in the UK

The Barn Owl (Tyto alba) is one of the UK’s most distinctive and loved birds of prey, known for its ghostly appearance, silent flight and heart-shaped facial disc.

Habitat and Hunting

Barn Owls are both nocturnal and daytime hunters, where they hunt over rough grassland, field margins, mixed farmland and open meadows. Their diet consists mainly of small mammals such as short-tailed voles, field mice and shrews. While they prefer hunting at dawn and dusk.

Below are a few reasons why Barn Owls can be seen hunting during the daytime.

• They inhabitat a very safe environment where they feel both comfortable and confident to hunt during the day or both day and night.
• They have to travel a further distance to find new hunting grounds
• They have a hungry brood of Barn Owlets to feed back at the nest site. A healthy food supply is vital for each Owlet so it can maintain a healthy body weight to help it survive.
• They are out in calmer weather periods, this can happen if the weather during the night has been too wet or stormy, as this makes hunting and catching prey very difficult, even for the most fittest and more experienced Barn Owls.

Nesting and Adaptation

Barn Owls traditionally nest in quiet, undisturbed places such as old barns, buildings and hollow trees. With the loss of many natural sites, artificial nest boxes have become essential. Farmers, landowners and wildlife groups across the UK now provide these boxes to support breeding and roosting.

Conservation Efforts

The Barn Owl Centre are a dedicated UK Owl Conservation Charity that supplies specially designed nest boxes to help increase safe nest sites. We provide advice and support to many UK projects. To date, we are pround to have delivered over 9,500 nest boxes UK wide.

Population and Protection

Current estimates suggest approximately 10,000–12,000 breeding pairs in the UK. Continued nest box programmes and habitat support are vital to maintain and grow these numbers.

Present Threats

• Habitat Loss: Modern farming and urbanisation reduce hunting grounds and nesting sites.
• Road Casualties: Owls are at risk when crossing roads or hunting along verges.
• Rodenticides: Secondary poisoning from poisoned prey is a major threat.
• Weather: Extreme wet conditions can disrupt hunting and survival, especially for young owlets.

Did You Know?

Wild Barn Owls: Average lifespan 1–5 years (oldest recorded 17 years).
Captive Barn Owls: Average lifespan 20–25 years (oldest at our Sanctuary lived 34 years).
Note: It is illegal to release captive-bred barn owls into the wild – their survival rate is extremely low.