A few days in the life of Barn Owls.

In the summer of 2024, my fifth year of re-nesting raptors, I managed two Barn Owl re-nests. The first nest was in a more traditional barn setting, and I was able to intimately document their recovery. This nest originally had seven owlets, but three had fallen from it. Unlike most owls, Barn Owls will not take care of grounded young; If you fall out of the nest, you are on your own. After the property owner notified the Ohio Wildlife Center a local wildlife rehab center that I work with, I quickly drove to the location to assess. Sadly, one owlet had died, and another one suffered a leg fracture very close to the hip. X-rays confirmed the fracture, and the leg could not be mended. However, the third was good to go back to its nest. This camera footage and these images are just some of the over 1000 clips and photos my trail camera recorded before the battery died.  

One of the Barn Owlets being examined by staff at the Ohio Wildlife Center.

Temporary nests are something I often use when re-nesting owl species, especially when the nest is unreachable. I placed the owlet back in the nest since a temporary nest will not work with Barn Owls. Next, I added my trail camera nearby to ensure it was accepted back into the fold after the re-nest. I learned some fascinating things while watching this nest, unique among other owl species I’ve monitored. Each one of these owlets can eat several rodents a night depending on the owlet size, as many as five each per night. Meadow voles and short-tailed shrew are preferred here in Ohio, but the owls are not picky, and any appropriately sized rodent will do. So, imagine how many rodents they can end up eating with a family of seven! The owlets will scream until they are full, often competing for first dibs on incoming rodents. The parents are essentially rodent delivery machines throughout the night, as a constant supply of fresh food is necessary. Interestingly, the older owlets may take breaks from eating to make sure the younger owlets also eat. Once the owlets are fledged, they may opt to take up residence in a nearby nest if they feel the parents are not providing them with enough food.  

An example of a typical re-nest using a temporary nest for a family of Barred Owls.

A typical Barn Owl nest is made of owl pellets. Yes, that's right; they \construct their nests out of the bones of their victims! The nest I monitored was around two feet by four feet, carpeted completely with several inches of what can best be described as a rodent fur rug. They had been using this nest for almost five years, so it had taken the adults a bit of time to make that rug. A female Barn Owl can lay as many as fourteen eggs, seven being the average\, laid two to three days apart. Incubation takes place after the first egg is laid, so staggered hatching is normal for Barn Owls. The result can be as much as a month or more in age difference between the youngest and oldest owlets. This difference is significant for owlets, as individuals can double in size every two weeks. So, it's not abnormal for some owlets to be almost ready to fledge while their siblings are still hatching. Barn Owls can also have multiple clutches in a year if weather and food sources are good. The parents are monogamous and typically mate for life.  

A picture of the reunited owlet on the right with its siblings. Note the rodent fur rug they are standing on and the age difference in the Owlets.

Barn Owls are considered the oldest owl species existing for several million years. They are also the most widespread bird around the earth. Having adapted to being around humans for thousands of years, they have been the source of many myths and legends. Made famous in literature, they have had many names over the years. Shakespeare referred to them as “night owls” representing death in many of his famous plays including Macbeth.  Some other names they have gone by include monkey faced owls ghost owls and my personal favorite is the Hobgoblin owl. Their habitat began to change in the 1600s due to deforestation of old-growth forests, but the owls continued to flourish until the early 1900s, possibly due to habitat loss and agricultural changes.  

The initial collection of the Owlets. The property owner had been doing her best to care for them providing appropriate food and nesting until I could pick them up.

Here in Ohio, Barn Owls are considered a threatened species but are on the path to recovery with the use of nest boxes throughout the state. There are a few challenges facing -Ohio-based Barn Owls, including habitat loss and appropriate nesting locations. Needing large meadows to hunt and acquire their prey urban sprawl and commercial farming can be a cause for their decline. The loss of habitat trees and old structures including barns is not helping these owls either.  Rodenticide and pesticides are also a cause for concern with these birds, along with other raptor species who will prey on small rodents. If they eat a rodent that has eaten rodent poison, the owl also will be poisoned. Because of their habitat’s proximity to people, vehicle strikes, as with many raptor species, is an issue for the owls as well.  If you have a rodent problem, please consider other means of management to help prevent poisoning raptors and owls. If you have a meadow or farm, consider putting up a barn owl box as a family of Barn Owls can eat over 3,500 rodents a year! There is no better rodent control than a family of Barn Owls, and it's essentially free for you!  

A compilation of some of the clips my camera recorded in the days after the re-nest.

Christopher Brinkman is the founder of the Owl Police. A published conservation and wildlife photographer working in the field since 2013. He has a passion for Owls and doing public outreach. He spends a lot of his time working with communities involving human wildlife conflicts involving predators. He has been volunteering in wildlife rehab for seven years, specializing in raptor re-nesting and reuniting. A member of the Canid Project, he has also assisted in reuniting orphaned foxes with their families. Photography has opened pathways to help tell the stories of the species he cares deeply about.   

Website: www.chrisbrinkman.com

Instagram: Brinkmanph

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Email: Christopher@theowlpolice.com