Barn owl habitat

Open, grassy lowlands with a few trees are typical habitat of the barn owl; this adaptable bird is also found in habitat ranging from arid scrub to farmland and roadsides. The barn owl avoids dense woodland, which obstructs its flight, and is rarely found in deserts. It avoids mountains and northern regions where snow lies deep for more than a month or so, because prey can hide beyond reach beneath the snow.The barn owl is therefore absent from most of northern Europe and Asia — from northern Scotland to eastern Russia — and from Canada. The barn owl relies heavily on old buildings for roosting or nest sites; hollow trees, cliffs and caves are also used.The owl’s decline in recent decades can be attributed in part to the alteration of its habitat, as old buildings are pulled down or modernized and woodlands are cleared, although concerned people are helping by erecting nest boxes. Pale and ghostly, the barn owl patrols silently over fields and grassland at night with slow, effortless wingbeats. It listens for the faintest rustle that betrays its prey.

• After eating, a barn owl coughs up pellets containing undigested parts of prey, such as bones and skull. If pellets are soaked in water for two hours, they may be pried apart to reveal the contents.
• The barn owl preys mainly on shrews, voles and mice; prey items recorded from around the world include blind moles, gerbils, hamsters, chameleons, crickets and hawk-moths.