Overview
The decline is attributed to the loss of farmland and grassland habitats where the owls hunt for small mammals, and to the loss of secure nesting sites. Currently, barn owls occupy areas of the state with a high concentration of open habitats such as hayfields, pastures, and meadows. The Game Commission is looking for landowners who currently have barn owls, or have habitat that could potentially attract nesting barn owls to their properties.
In 2006, the Game Commission developed the Barn Owl Conservation Initiative with the goal of securing the species' future in the Commonwealth. Through this ongoing effort, the agency is compiling information on where barn owls currently exist, including nest sites and incidental occurrences. When new occurrences are reported, we provide landowners information on how they can help with barn owl conservation by providing secure nesting locations and maintaining appropriate foraging habitat. Often times this simply means installing an appropriately placed nest box in an area composed primarily of grassland or farmland habitat. Nest box plans are available on the Game Commission website and boxes are available for purchase from the Howard Nursery.
The Game Commission has also been engaged in several research projects to learn more about Pennsylvania barn owls. Biologists have been confirming active nest site
locations, monitoring nest productivity, and collecting weight and age data of nestlings. More than 1,000 owlets have been banded to determine where they travel after leaving the nest and to estimate their lifespan if they are ever recovered. The Game Commission has been working cooperatively with other academic researchers analyzing the diets of barn owls and assessing population dynamics through genetic analysis. Additional information is available in the 2012 annual report (PDF) and this video on YouTube.
Barn owls measure about 10 to 15 inches tall and have a wingspan of 41 to 47 inches. Their distinctive long heart-shaped facial disk has earned this owl the moniker of "monkey-faced owl." They have a nearly pure-white to dusky breast with small spots, small dark eyes, and make hissing or scream-like vocalizations. Barn owls are found in agricultural fields, grasslands, and other open areas. They tend to avoid forested landscapes, primarily because they hunt for food in open, grassland habitats. As their name implies, barn owls commonly nest in barns as well as silos, abandoned buildings and artificial nest boxes. They have also been known to nest in cavities of large dead trees, rock crevices and even burrows in riverbanks. Because barn owls feed primarily on rodents, they are beneficial to farmers. An average family of barn owls can consume up to 3,000 rodents (mostly meadow voles) during the course of the breeding season.
To determine if you have a barn owl on your property, look in barns, silos, abandoned buildings and under possible roost sites for regurgitated owl pellets, which are dense pellets of undigested fur and bone about one to two inches long. Also, after dark, listen for long hissing shriek-like vocalizations, which are very different from the typical "hoots" of most owls. For more information on all Pennsylvania owls, review the Owls Wildlife Note (PDF).