Barn Owl (Tyto alba)


Group	Owls
Code	ABNSA01010
Order	Strigiformes
Family	Tytonidae
Author	(Scopoli, 1769)
Rank	G5 (definitions)
Occurrence	P (definitions)
Scale	C (definitions)

County List:


Western UP	none
Eastern UP	none
Northern LP	none
Southern LP	Monroe

Rule:

Nonforested Landscapes

      Fields/Pastures 
      or Small Grains/Forage Crops
      or Marsh 2 
      or Sedge Meadow
   containing
      (Man-made Structure - buildings or Snags or Living Cavity Trees)

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Habitat List:

Habitats	Regen	Sap	Pole	Sm Saw	Lg Saw	Uneven
Aspen	no	no	no	no	no	-
Paper Birch	no	no	no	no	no	-
Oak	no	no	no	no	no	no
Assorted Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Northern Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Spruce/Fir	no	no	no	no	no	no
Hemlock	no	no	no	no	no	no
Jack Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Red Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
White Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Conifer Plantations	no	no	no	no	no	-
Mixed Upland Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Northern Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Upland Conifer	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Swamp Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Balsam Poplar & Swamp Aspen & Swamp Birch	no	no	no	no	no	no
Bottomland Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Tamarack	no	no	no	no	no	no
Northern White Cedar	no	no	no	no	no	no
Black Spruce	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Lowland Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Lowland Conifer	no	no	no	no	no	no
Non-Forested	Small Grains/Forage Crops, Fields/Pastures, Marsh 2 (MARSH), Sedge Meadow
Special Features	Man-made Structures, Snags, Living Cavity Trees

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Literature:

Lerg, J. M. 1991. Barn Owl. Pages 236-237 In: R. Brewer, G. A. McPeek, and R. J. Adams, Jr. (eds.) The atlas of breeding birds of Michigan. Michigan State University Press, East Lansing. 594 pp.

Habitat: The Barn Owl is a bird of open grasslands. While upland grasslands is preferred, this owl also occupies lowland sedge meadow and marsh. Its primary prey is the meadow vole. Historically, the Barn Owl nested in tree cavities, cliff ledges, and crevices. After European settlement, ledges inside barns and other buildings were also used.

The demise of the Barn Owl is largely attributable to the loss of grassland habitat and associated declines in the prey base. This loss of grassland was the result of changing agricultural practices involving decreased hay and pasture and more row crops like corn and beans. Remaining grasslands are converting to brushland through succession or being replaced by legumes such as alfalfa and clover that do not support the higher prey base associated with grass-dominated areas.

DeGraaf, R. M. and D. D. Rudis. 1986. New England wildlife: habitat, natural history, and distribution. GTR NE-108. Broomall, PA:USDA, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 491 pp.

Habitat: Breeding: Almost anywhere in open country but prefers vicinity of farms and villages. Avoids woodlands and higher elevations. Wintering: same as breeding habitat.

Special Habitat Requirements: Abundant supply of rodents for food. Barns, silos, deserted buildings, cavities or covered duck blinds for nesting.

Kaufman, K. 1996. Lives of North American Birds. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 675 pp.

Habitat: Woodlands, groves, farms, barns, towns, cliffs. Typically in open or semi-open country in lowlands. May nest in forest or city if nearby area has good open foraging territory, such as farmland, marsh, prairie, desert.

Diet: Mostly rodents. Feeds heavily on voles; also takes various kinds of mice, small rats, shrews, young rabbits, other mammals. Eats very small numbers of birds, lizards, insects, rarely frogs or even fish.

Nest: Uses sites in caves and hollow trees, also many artificial sites such as barn lofts, church steeples, abandoned houses, dry wells, crevices under bridges, nest boxes. Where no existing cavities available, will dig holes in dirt banks. No real nest built, but will arrange debris into crude depression.