Tyto Alba
By: Tyler Yupangco

INTRODUCTION

• The Barn Owl is a medium sized owl with no ear–tufts and a heart shaped face.
• Its scientific name is Tyto Alba.
• "Alba" refers to to the colour white.

DESCRIPTION

• The facial disk is white with a brown edge,and with a brownish wash between the lower edge of the eyes and the base of a whitish pink bill. The eyes are brownish-black.
• The crown and the upper parts are yellowish-brown to orange-buff, covered partly by a pale ashy-grey veil marked with scattered white spots surrounded by black.
• The tail is similar, with a few darker bars and with white dots near the tips of the feathers.
• Legs are feathered white nearly to the base of the mostly bare toes, which are pale greyish--brown and dirty yellowish underneath. The claws are brownish-black.

SIZE

• Length: 29--44cm.
• Wing length: 235-323cm.
• Tail length: 110-125cm.
• Wheight: 250-480g.
• Females are often heavier than males.

HABITS

• Generally nocturnal,although it is not uncommon to see this species emerge at dusk or be active at dawn, occasionally being seen in flight during full daylight.
• The flight is noiseless, with wingbeats interrupted by gliding.

VOICE

• The Barn Owl calls infrequently, the usual call drawn--rasping srceech. The courtship call of the male is a shrill repetitive twittering.
• Adults returning to a nest may give a low,frog--like croak. When surprised in its hollow or nest it makes hissing and rasping noises and snapping sounds that are often called bill snapping, but possibly by clicking the tongue.

HUNTING AND FOOD

• Barn Owls specialize in hunting small ground mammals,and the vast majority of their food consists of small rodents.
• Voles (field mice) are an important food item,as well as pocket gophers,shrews, mice and rats.
• Barn Owls breed rapidly in response to mouse plagues.
• Most of their prey are active at night.

HABITAT

• Barn Owls live across the lower parts of United States and a few parts of Southern Canada.
• They can live in grasslands in grasslands,deserts, marshlands, forests, Suburbs and cities.
• They nest in tree cavities, caves and buildings.

BREEDING

• They lay 3 to 6 eggs at a time sometimes even 12 eggs.
• The eggs are 38--46mm X 30-35mm and will be incubated for 30–34 days.
• Chicks are covered in white down and brooded for about two weeks, and are fledged in 50–55 days.
• Chicks stay in their nest to learn hunting skills and then leaves the nest.

MORTALITY

• Barn owls are short–lived birds. Many die in their first year of life, with the average life expectancy being 1 to 2 years in the wild. In North America the oldest known barn owl was 11 years,six months. In Holland, a wild Barn Owl lived up to be 17 years,10 months old. In England, a captive female Barn owl was retired from breeding at 25 years old!

DISTRIBUTION

• The Barn Owl is one of the most wide-spread of all land birds.They are found on all continents (except Antarctica) and large islands and occur over the whole of Australia, including Tasmania
• They occur throughout most of Britain and Europe and across many parts of Asia, Africa and much of North America.
• In South America they are found in areas of suitable grassland,as well as on oceanic islands such as the Galapagos. They were introduced to Hawaii in1958.

Time to take off!

Thank You !