EntdeckenVögel

American Barn Owl

tyto furcata

The American Barn Owl is a mesmerizing, nocturnal predator famous for its distinct, ghostly white, heart-shaped facial disc and silent flight. Moving like a specter over open fields, grasslands, and agricultural areas, this elegant raptor plays a critical role in controlling rodent populations. Unlike typical owls, it does not hoot, but instead emits eerie, rasping screeches that can startle unsuspecting night walkers. Blessed with incredibly acute hearing, it can pinpoint the movement of small mammals beneath dense ground cover or snow in complete darkness. Highly adaptable to human presence, they frequently nest in quiet, dark spaces like barns, silos, and church steeples, making them a beloved friend to farmers everywhere.

Lebensraum: Found in open habitats such as grasslands, agricultural fields, marshes, and pasturelands, where they frequently nest in hollow trees, caves, or man-made structures like barns.

Aussehen

This medium-sized owl is easily recognized by its heart-shaped white face outlined with brown, and its dark, staring eyes that lack the yellow irises of many other owl species. Its plumage is a gorgeous mosaic of sandy-buff, gold, and light gray above, finely speckled with black and white, while its underparts are pure white to pale cinnamon with small dark spots. It possesses long, rounded wings, a short tail, and exceptionally long, sparsely feathered legs. In flight, it appears remarkably buoyant and mostly white from below.

ReichAnimaliaStammChordataKlasseAvesOrdnungStrigiformesFamilieTytonidaeGattungTyto

American Barn Owl

Kategorie

Vögel

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

A single family of Barn Owls can consume up to 3,000 rodents in a single breeding season, making them highly effective, chemical-free pest control.

Rather than hooting like typical owls, the American Barn Owl produces an array of eerie screeches, hisses, and clicks that have inspired many ghost stories.

Their hearing is so precise that they can successfully capture prey hidden entirely beneath snow or thick vegetation in total darkness.

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Feathers with velvety surfaces and soft, fringed edges break up air turbulence, allowing them to fly almost silently to ambush prey.

Ear openings positioned at different heights on the skull enable precise vertical and horizontal sound localization in absolute darkness.

The stiff feathers of the heart-shaped facial disc channel even the faintest sounds of scurrying rodents directly to its ears like a satellite dish.

Maße und Details

Länge: 32+ cm
Flügelspannweite: 100+ cm
Gewicht: 0.4+ kg
Lebenserwartung: 2+ Jahre
Top Speed: 35 km/h
Gelegegröße: 3+
Brutzeit: 29+ Tage

Ernährung und Fütterung

Feeds almost exclusively on small mammals, particularly rodents, which it swallows whole and later regurgitates as compact, gray pellets.

Hauptnahrung

Meadow Vole
Deer Mouse
Pocket Gopher
Brown Rat

Nahrungssuche

Ambush Hunting And Quartering Flights Over Open Land In Search Of Prey Movement By Sound And Sight.

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

hunts

Meadow Vole

Microtus pennsylvanicus

Preys heavily upon this small rodent in grassy fields, serving as a vital natural pest control agent.

eaten by

Great Horned Owl

Bubo virginianus

A major nocturnal competitor and apex predator that will hunt and kill barn owls when territories overlap.

hunts

North American Deer Mouse

Peromyscus maniculatus

A common nocturnal rodent that serves as a primary food source across North America.

Merkmale

Für dieses Objekt sind noch keine Merkmal-Badges vergeben.

Auch bekannt als

Noch keine Alternativnamen vorhanden.

Sammlungen

Sammlungen für dieses Objekt erscheinen hier, wenn weitere Themen hinzugefügt werden.

Sicherheit

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Noch keine besonderen Sicherheitshinweise.

Häufig gestellte Fragen

Wie identifiziert man American Barn Owl?

Der einfachste Weg, American Barn Owl zu bestimmen, ist die Verwendung der Naturführer-App Snappit.

Was ist der/die/das länge von American Barn Owl?

32+ cm

Was ist der/die/das flügelspannweite von American Barn Owl?

100+ cm

Was ist der/die/das gewicht von American Barn Owl?

0.4+ kg

Was ist der/die/das lebenserwartung von American Barn Owl?

2+ Jahre

Was ist der/die/das top Speed von American Barn Owl?

35 km/h

Was frisst American Barn Owl?

Feeds almost exclusively on small mammals, particularly rodents, which it swallows whole and later regurgitates as compact, gray pellets.

Wo findet man American Barn Owl normalerweise?

Found in open habitats such as grasslands, agricultural fields, marshes, and pasturelands, where they frequently nest in hollow trees, caves, or man-made structures like barns.