Barn Owls have asymmetrical ear openings (one higher than the other) which let them pinpoint prey by sound in total darkness.
They produce a chilling raspy scream rather than the typical hoot. Most 'haunted barn' folklore traces to Barn Owl calls.
A single Barn Owl pair can take 1,000+ rodents per year. They're widely used in farm rodent control.
Barn Owls take readily to large open-fronted nest boxes mounted high in barns or on poles. They're a farm and ranch favorite.
Mount a large Barn Owl box 12–25 ft up inside a barn, on a tall post, or under a high eave. They like large dark cavities.
Rodents, they catch their own. Maintaining a no-pesticide farm increases the rodent population they need.
Open hunting ground (pasture, hayfield, marsh) within ¼ mile of the nest.
European Starlings will harass; they can be excluded by entrance size and design.
Don't use rodenticides, Barn Owls are extremely vulnerable to secondary poisoning.
A widespread, almost cosmopolitan owl found on every continent except Antarctica.
Resident across the southern US, Mexico, and parts of the West. Local in the East and rare in the North.
Resident throughout Europe, North Africa, and most of sub-Saharan Africa.
Resident populations through southern Asia, the Middle East, and Australia.
Open country, farmland, grasslands, deserts, marshes, with cavity-rich man-made structures (barns, silos, church steeples) for nesting.
This species needs a box larger or differently-shaped than our three standard sizes. We make these as one-off prints to the published nest dimensions, with all the species-specific requirements baked in.
Provides invaluable rodent control. Mount boxes 12+ ft up in barns, silos, or dead trees with open foraging nearby.