Feeding baby screech owl

How to Feed Baby Screech Owls

By Jacob Stover | Updated September 26, 2017

Screech owls are carnivorous nocturnal birds of prey that can be found across the eastern half of the American continent. Screech owls are considered opportunistic predators because they adapt their daily food intake to account for the easiest possible source of nutrition. As a result, these birds can survive on a wide range of different foods. Feeding a baby screech owl can be a very difficult process because the birds tend to prefer live prey and require a constant source of food for the first few months of life.

Provide a natural environment that can foster proper hunting and nutrition for the birds. While the screech owls are very young they may be unable to hunt, but it is important that they have the capacity to transition into providing their own food as they mature. Ideal hunting locations are heavily wooded areas, wetlands and marshes, or other stretches of open land that host large populations of insects, small amphibians, fish and small mammals. If you are raising a baby screech owl in an environment that cannot provide adequate hunting and nutrition, you should look into sanctuaries that may be able to house and raise the bird in a healthier and more natural fashion.

Feed orphaned baby screech owls on a rigorously maintained schedule. Babies in the wild are fed by their parents every two to four hours. The screech owl has a very fast metabolism, and requires consistent feeding during growing phases.

Use tweezers to emulate the natural feeding process. Wild baby screech owls are fed by their parents until they are old enough to fly and hunt on their own. The parent owl will partially digest the food, then regurgitate it or drop it into the open mouths of the babies in the nest. Dangle the food above the babies, and allow them to reach for pieces and gulp them by their own volition. Do not attempt to force food into the babies mouths, as they could choke or bite you.

Prepare food for the babies before feeding. This task may be a bit gross for individuals that are squeamish, but the babies cannot properly consume a whole animal. Tear sections of meat into smaller portions to help the babies swallow. Many owls will respond poorly to food animals that appear dead. If your babies refuse to eat dead mice, chicks, or amphibians you may need to cut the animals into smaller pieces or expose the entrails so the birds can be certain of the safety and desirability of the food source. Live insects are a good option for particularly picky birds that refuse to eat other forms of meat that are already dead.

Warnings

Never feed owls meat from animals that have been shot. Owls are very susceptible to lead poisoning and can die from eating shrapnel or pellets.

Raising an owl without the proper license is illegal in the United States. Many species of bird, including screech owls are protected by the Migratory Bird Act.

References

Owl Pages: Eastern Screech Owl
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Eastern Screech Owl
Dauset Trails: Baby Screech Owls
FWS: Migratory Bird Treaty Act

Writer Bio

Jacob Stover is a writer and editor from Ann Arbor. He has been writing professionally since 2009. His work has been published in the "Wayne State University Literary Review." He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and film studies from Wayne State University.

Eastern Screech-Owl | Audubon Field Guide

Guide to North American Birds

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Adult, brown morph. Photo: Morris Finkelstein/Audubon Photography Awards

Conservation status	Still widespread and fairly common, but thought to have been gradually declining in various parts of range. Helped in some areas by provision of nest boxes.
Family	Owls
Habitat	Woodlands, farm groves, shade trees. Generally favors deciduous or mixed woods, but may be found in any habitat having some open ground and some large trees, from forest to isolated groves to suburban yards. May be absent from some areas because of lack of dead snags with suitable nesting holes.

This robin-sized nightbird is common over much of the east, including in city parks and shady suburbs, where many human residents are unaware they have an owl for a neighbor. The owl spends the day roosting in holes or in dense cover, becoming active at dusk. Despite the name, screech-owls do not screech; the voice of this species features whinnies and soft trills.

Photo Gallery

Photo gallery

Feeding Behavior

Forages at dusk and at night. Hunts mostly by watching from a perch and then swooping down to take prey from the ground or from foliage. Also catches flying insects in the air. Can locate prey by sound as well as by sight.

Eggs

4-5, sometimes 2-8. White. Incubation is mostly by female, averages about 26 days. Male brings food to female during incubation. Young: Both parents bring food for young. Adults may bring back small, wormlike Blind Snakes and release them in nest, where the snakes burrow in debris in bottom of cavity, feeding on insects there, perhaps helping protect the young from parasites. Young leave the nest about 4 weeks after hatching, are fed by parents for some time thereafter.

Young

Both parents bring food for young. Adults may bring back small, wormlike Blind Snakes and release them in nest, where the snakes burrow in debris in bottom of cavity, feeding on insects there, perhaps helping protect the young from parasites. Young leave the nest about 4 weeks after hatching, are fed by parents for some time thereafter.

Diet

Mostly large insects and small rodents. Wide variation in diet. Eats many beetles, moths, crickets, other large insects. Catches mice and other rodents, shrews, sometimes bats; also some small birds, lizards, frogs, spiders, earthworms, crayfish, many other small creatures. Some catch many small fish.

Nesting

Courtship displays of male include bowing, raising wings, clicking bill. Male brings food to female. Mated pairs preen each other's feathers, call in duet. Nest site is in cavity in tree, including natural hollows and abandoned woodpecker holes; will also use artificial nest boxes. Usually 10-30' above ground, can be 5-80' up.

Illustration © David Allen Sibley.
Learn more about these drawings.

Text © Kenn Kaufman, adapted from
Lives of North American Birds

Migration

Apparently a permanent resident throughout its range. Especially in north, may wander somewhat in fall and winter.

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Migration

Apparently a permanent resident throughout its range. Especially in north, may wander somewhat in fall and winter.

All Seasons - Common
All Seasons - Uncommon
Breeding - Common
Breeding - Uncommon
Winter - Common
Winter - Uncommon
Migration - Common
Migration - Uncommon

Songs and Calls

A tremulous, descending wail; soft purrs and trills.

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Content

Hills
Description
Hares and lifestyle
Types Sipuh
Environmental status
Sipukha and person Animals Type: Chordates Grade: Birds Detachment: Owls Family: barn owl Gen.: barn owls Type: Barn owl
Barn owl (lat. Tyto alba) is a bird of prey of the barn owl family, the most common bird of the barn owl genus in the world. The barn owl is a rather unusual animal among its kind. In addition, this owl belongs to one of the most ancient species of owls. It is found on almost all continents, with the exception of Antarctica. On the territory of Russia, it is found only in the Kaliningrad region.

Some scientists refer to the barn owl as a monkey-faced owl. Indeed, there is some similarity ... The people call this bird a ghostly owl, a night owl, a screeching owl. When did the barn owl manage to earn so many nicknames? This question, perhaps, can only be answered by folk legends.

Barn owls have been known since the Pleistocene. ^{There are up to 46 subspecies of barn owls, but currently only 26 are generally recognized.}

Habitat

The barn owl is found on almost all continents. The only place on the planet where you cannot see it is Antarctica. However, despite their good adaptability to various geographical conditions, they are not able to accumulate fat reserves in themselves, and for this reason they cannot tolerate the cold northern climate.

Barn owls are completely absent in America, in the northern regions of the USA and most of Canada, in Northern Europe and almost throughout Russia, with the exception of the Kaliningrad region. Also, barn owls do not get along in mountainous areas above 1000 m above sea level and in Asian and African deserts.

Thanks to man, the owl has become artificially distributed on the islands of New Zealand, the Seychelles and Hawaii. After settling in the Seychelles in 1949, there began a sharp decline in the population of the local Seychellois kestrel, for which the barn owl began to hunt. Barn owls prefer to equip their dwelling in open spaces, in swamps and in grassy areas.

Description

Appearance

Bird of prey the size of a jackdaw, its length is 33-39cm, wingspan 80-95 cm. ^{The weight of birds varies widely from 187 to 700 g, and in many cases it is not a geographical characteristic, but depends on each individual. However, in general, island birds are smaller. It differs in the shape of the facial disc, which resembles a heart and a white mask at the same time.}
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Due to the special expression of this mask, the barn owl is also called "the owl with the face of the monkey".
- Feather color mostly white with reddish tinges. The thickness of the plumage allows these owls to live in cold areas. The body size of an owl is about 40 centimeters, the wingspan is almost a meter. The weight of the barn owl ranges from 200 to 700 grams.
- The upper part of the body of owl is darker, there is much more of a reddish hue here, and white or yellowish color prevails below. The facial disc is white in color and noticeably flattened in shape. Borders the "face" of an owl with a circle of feathers of an ocher shade.
- The wings of are predominantly white, but may also be decorated with a dark streak pattern.
- The eyes of are quite large, bright and very expressive. The iris is mostly black or dark in color.
- The ears of are set on the sides, but asymmetrically, which makes the barn owl special. The left ear is at the level of the forehead, and the right ear is at the level of the nostrils. This structure of the hearing aid helps the birds perfectly hear the sounds made by a potential victim from different angles.
- Beak and cere light yellowish white.
- The body of barn owl is elongated and slender with long paws covered with dense plumage. Her tail is very short. In general, we can say that the color of the lower part of the body depends mainly on its habitat.
Outwardly, females differ little from males, but the former are slightly darker. Young birds from sexually mature either do not differ at all, or look more colorful. Thus, the barn owl has a rather bright, memorable appearance, which attracts lovers of photo hunting.

Differences from other species

Owl barn owls can be easily distinguished from representatives of the barn owl family by the shape of the facial disc, which in them has a pronounced outline in the form of a heart. Barn owls are distinguished from the rest by lighter plumage.

Barn owl , whose range in Africa overlaps with the common barn owl, has noticeably darker plumage and longer legs. The same can be said about herbal oriental barn owl from Southeast Asia and Australia.

Voice

Barn owls most often make various sounds during the breeding season - at this time they hoarsely or shrillly scream, sniff, hoot. Thanks to its special, hoarse and rattling cry “heee”, the bird got its Russian name “barn owl”. ^[3] Outside of the breeding season, birds are usually silent. In addition to vocal sounds, barn owls sometimes click their beaks, tongues, or defiantly flap their wings.

Habits and lifestyle

The "ghostly owl" barn owl is called because of its ability to abruptly appear in front of an unsuspecting person without the slightest sound. It is believed that the bird earned its name for a somewhat hoarse voice that can scare a traveler lost in the forest.

In addition to the ability to fly silently, the barn owl has developed vision and hearing, so it can perfectly navigate at night. In the daytime, the bird is in a hollow, on the roof, in another shelter. This owl prefers a solitary lifestyle, but in places rich in food, there are small clusters of birds.

Barn owl often circles its territory, while often changing altitude. Seeing an intruder, she begins to move menacingly to intimidate him. Flapping its wings, the owl is able to attack the visitor with strong paws or a beak, which it snaps menacingly when attacked.

Barn owl usually builds a nest in the immediate vicinity of a person in an attic, in a shed or in an outbuilding, but in the wild this predator can easily occupy someone else's nest or burrow.

Breeding

Barn owls breed at different times in different regions. In warmer and more abundant - all year round, in the rest - depending on the amount of food. For nesting, barn owls usually return to the same place. To attract a partner, single males fly around the selected territory and scream.

After the formation of a pair, first the male begins to circle the territory in expanding circles at sunset, and then the female joins him, they call and “dance” around each other in the air. Then the male goes for food, and the female waits for him and returns to the nest a couple of minutes before his return. For a nest, barn owls choose hollows, caves, abandoned nests of large birds, and, as already mentioned, human buildings. To line the nest, the female uses the fur and down from her pellets (sacs that the owl regurgitates to get rid of it all). Before mating, the female spends a lot of time near the nest, while the male stays nearby and feeds her. When she reaches a large enough weight, the owls mate and the female begins to lay eggs. She hatches them alone, and the male constantly drags her food, while continuing to mate with her.

Barn owl chicks wait for their parents to return with food

Eggs are laid and hatch gradually, the first chick may be a week or more older than the last. Owlets hatch blind and helpless, but grow quickly, go bald by two weeks. Parents take turns bringing them food. After 35–45 days, the chicks leave the nest, and at the age of 50–55 days they begin to fly. They become completely independent at the age of 3 months, and then fly apart. The last week of life with their parents, the young hunt with them, adopting the hunting experience of the elders. Barn owls are characterized by a very large radius of flight of young ones - hundreds and even thousands of kilometers.

In "mouse years" barn owls, even in temperate latitudes, can have 2 successful clutches per season. Young can start breeding as early as 10 months of age.

Nutrition

Like all owls, the barn owl is a real winged predator. She flies out to hunt at night. Special auditory receptors and silent flight give this bird incredible advantages in night hunting. During the day, the owl prefers to sleep in the cool and shade. She sits on a tree so that she is not visible.

Barn owl diet is based on various mouse-like rodents (voles, rats, hamsters, gophers, gerbils, etc.) and shrews. Often only one or a few species of prey dominate in a given region, such as the palm rat in Malaysia. In addition to rodents, it preys on opossums and other species of birds, including birds of prey. If necessary, it catches bats, reptiles, frogs and invertebrates.

During the hunt, an owl either flies around its possessions, constantly changing height - up and down, or waits for a prey from an ambush. The flight of barn owls is soft and silent, since the wings are designed so that the ends of the flight feathers dampen the sound of flight.

Barn owls kill their prey with their claws, and then, stepping on it with their long foot, they tear it apart with their beak. Their neck is so mobile that they can eat almost without bending over their prey. When eating, the feathers of the owl's facial disc move all the time when opening and closing its mouth, so it seems that barn owls constantly grimace while eating.

Barn owl species

Barn owl species includes 11 species belonging to 2 genera. There are some of the most popular:

Barn owl

The most popular species is found in America, Asia (except Siberia, Middle and Central), Africa, Madagascar, many European countries. A small bird (33-39 cm long) arranges nests in hollows, often in buildings. It is described in more detail in this article.

Madagascar barn owl

It can be found in the forests of Northeastern Madagascar. It differs in small size (the body has a length of about 27.5 cm) and is an exclusively nocturnal resident. This species can be recognized by the species call, which is expressed by a loud hiss (about 1.5 seconds), which ends with a sharp, strong high-pitched sound. For hunting, he chooses forest edges, rice fields.

Barn owl

Lives in southern New Guinea and Australia. For settlement, it chooses forests and open flat terrain with a few trees. For nesting, it prefers burrows and natural niches. The size of an adult individual can vary within 38-57 cm. Birds tied to one area appear from the shelter only at night, setting off for food - small mammals, farm birds.

Barn owl

This bird is an inhabitant of the plains with tall grass in the northern and eastern regions of India, the foothills of the Himalayas, the southern and eastern regions of China, Taiwan. The birds of this species have chosen the islands of Southeast Asia, a group of the Philippine Islands.

Barn owl

Found in Australia. A small-sized bird (length about 37-51 cm) inhabitant of predominantly tropical expanses. A lover of eucalyptus thickets with high humidity, she mainly chooses old trees with tall trunks. For hunting, the bird can go to dry forests, but it waits out the daylight hours in tropical oases. It also breeds in the tropics. It is not particularly whimsical in the choice of food: it can eat not only small animals and birds, but also does not disdain insects, small reptiles.

Barn owl

Separate species that settled in the impenetrable tropics of the Australian coast. The name speaks for itself - the size of an adult does not exceed 38 cm. Nesting takes place in hollows, and preference is given to large holes.

Conservation status

The barn owl is not a threatened species, but the reduction in its usual nesting sites is a serious threat to it. In the East of Europe, in recent decades, for unknown reasons, there has been a catastrophic decline in the number of barn owls. The species has almost disappeared from the Baltic countries and Belarus, has become rare in Ukraine and Moldova. Now the barn owl is listed in the Red Books of a number of Eastern European countries.

Barn owl and humans

Barn owls often gravitate towards human dwellings, settling in attics, outbuildings, ruins, churches, and bell towers.

In English, the barn owl is called "barn owl" , that is, "barn owl".

In cities where there are always a lot of rats and mice, barn owls always easily find food for themselves. And besides, "urban" barn owls have learned to hunt nocturnal insects and bats by the light of lanterns.

Like other types of owls, people have always treated barn owls with superstitious fear, especially since they were most often met near their homes. And just like other owls, barn owls were a symbol of wisdom. Now the superstitions about owls, fortunately, are a thing of the past, and people treat these birds with obvious sympathy. And the role of barn owls in the fight against urban rodents is obvious and not disputed by anyone.

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short description, habitat, photo

The barn owl is well known to residents of Western European countries, but little is known about it in Russia. This is the most ancient branch of the owl order. Its Latin name sounds like Tyto alba, and English - Barn owl. The people called her a night owl, a ghostly and screeching owl. Its distinguishing features are a peculiar voice and the shape of the head. Who is this barn owl, and what kind of life does she lead? Let's talk in more detail in this article about one of the most common owls in the world.

Barn owl: description

The name of this bird of prey, apparently, comes from the peculiarity of its voice, reminiscent of a kind of snoring or vulture. It differs from other representatives of owls in the shape of the facial disk in the form of a heart, while it seems that it is wearing a white mask. The small bird has a light color and a peculiar face. It is about the same size as a long-eared owl or jackdaw. It reaches a length of 33-39 cm, its body weight is 300-355 g, and its wingspan is about 90 cm. By the way, its weight can vary widely and depends individually on a particular individual. It can weigh both 180 g and 700 g.

In the upper part, its color has acquired a sandy (red) color with white and dark speckles. The barn owl is white in the lower part (rarely yellow), in addition, dark blotches are present in the plumage. The facial disc is light and has a flattened appearance, it also received an ocher border, under the eyes there is a small area of red feathers. Wings - fawn-white, with a golden-striated pattern. The iris is dark brown or black. Her eyes are expressive and large. It has a slender physique, and it also has long paws, which have thick and fluffy plumage to the fingers. She has a short tail. The beak is yellowish white. By the way, the color of the lower part depends on the habitat of the barn owl. For example, in North Africa, Western and Southern Europe, in the Middle East it is white, but in the rest of Europe it is yellow-orange.

Outwardly, they practically do not differ from each other. The females are slightly darker, but this is not very noticeable. Young chicks also do not differ from adults, sometimes they are more colorful.

As we have noticed, such a bird as a barn owl has a very memorable appearance, the photo clearly demonstrates this to us.

Habitat

There are 35 subspecies of barn owl, which are distributed on all continents except Antarctica, they are also found on the islands. Previously, it could be found in the Baltic States and other CIS countries: now it lives there in small numbers. On the territory of Russia, it is found only in the Kaliningrad region. In the European part, it is absent in the northern regions and mountain systems.

On the one hand, the barn owl is adapted to various geographical conditions, as it is distributed almost everywhere, and on the other hand, it does not have the ability to accumulate fat reserves in itself, therefore it does not tolerate a harsh climate. In the northern regions of the United States and in most of Canada, in Northern Europe and almost throughout Russia, for this reason, it is not. The bird cannot also live in the African and Asian deserts.

There were cases when the barn owl was artificially populated by humans in areas where it had never been. Thus, she appeared in the Seychelles and Hawaiian Islands, in New Zealand. After the barn owl was settled in the Seychelles, the kestrel population began to decline, on which it fed.

Favorite places to live

Barn owl almost always settles near human dwellings. It breeds both in large cities and in rural areas. He likes to settle in attics, in hollows and wall niches. Prefers rooftops and abandoned buildings. The barn owl is most often found in open plains where there are few trees. These can be places such as woodlands, swamps, dense meadows, and the bird also lives along wastelands, reservoirs, ravines and highways.

It can often be found where agricultural farms and human habitations are located. Barn owl tries to avoid dense forests and high mountainous places. For this bird, the following conditions are necessary for distribution: the availability of food, the absence of cold winters and weak competition with other predators. Basically, they do not change their habitat, the exceptions are situations when the food supply in their habitat is depleted.

What does he eat?

Her favorite food is mouse-like rodents, and she can also handle pasyuk (large gray rat). She can catch up to 15 mice per night. Rarely eats small birds, in particular, sparrows, as well as large and amphibious insects. Rats, voles, hamsters, shrews, opossums can be used as food. They can also catch bats, frogs, reptiles and invertebrates. The owl grabs the victim right on the fly, clamps it with its tenacious claws and carries it to a place where it can safely feast on it.

The position of the hearing aid allows the bird to pick up all the sounds that the prey makes, which is very helpful when hunting. Her ears have an asymmetrical arrangement: one of them is at the level of the nostrils, and the other is in the forehead.

Barn owl's characteristic voice

She makes a hoarse, whispering rattle. Barn owls defiantly flap their wings and click their beaks. By the way, this feature of them can involuntarily terrify people who decide to relax in the silence of the forest and meet with her. Many sounds made by this owl have been noted, but still the hoarse screeching trill that can be heard during its flight is still the predominant one. The call of a female barn owl is lower in tone.

By the way, the bird got its Russian name for a low, rattling, hoarse cry that sounds like “heee”. They emit it more often than the usual owl hoot. Her peculiar hoarse voice resembles a hoarse cough.

Nocturnal

She flies out to hunt at late twilight and is strictly nocturnal. As a rule, they live alone, but can be found in small groups in areas where game accumulates. Since barn owls are active at night, they sleep during the day. For sleep, they choose some kind of niche, natural or artificial - it can be a hole in the ground or an unused attic.

During the hunt, they change altitude - they go up, then go down again, flying around the property. They can also wait for the victim, hiding in ambush. Their wings are designed in such a way that their flight is as silent and soft as possible, in addition, they have excellent vision and hearing. By the way, in some regions barn owls hunt during the day, for example, in Britain, but at this time of day there is a danger for them in the form of birds of prey, such as gulls.

The barn owl kills its prey with its claws, then steps on it with its long leg and tears it apart with its beak. It has a very mobile neck, thanks to which it can eat prey without bending over. During the meal, the feathers of the facial disc move, and it seems that the owls grimace.

Reproduction

Barn owl is usually monogamous, but polygamy is also possible. In a year there is one, less often two clutches. The beginning of the breeding season depends, as a rule, on the climatic conditions of the habitats and the amount of food. In warmer regions and where there is plenty of food, they can breed at any time of the year. For example, in the temperate zone of Europe or North America, this begins in March-June. If there is a re-laying, then the hatching of the chicks will take place in the period March-May and June-August.

The male himself chooses the place where the nest will be, and then starts calling the female. As such, the nest is not built; a closed and dark place is chosen for this. This may be a recess in an old stump, a tree hollow and other niches. The female is engaged in incubating the eggs, while the male brings her food. The conditional nest is located at a height of 2-20 meters above the ground, the clutch size is usually 4-7 eggs, but can be from 2 to 14. There are more of them, as a rule, during periods characterized by an abundance of food. The size of the eggs, which are white or cream in color, averages 30-35 mm.

Birds make various sounds during the breeding season. They scream shrillly and hoarsely, hoot and sniff, making a characteristic “heee” sound. The rest of the time, as a rule, owls are silent. The female incubates the eggs for about a month. Juveniles fly out of the nest on the 50-55th day of life.

By the way, a pair of owls stay together until the death of one of the partners. The female and male live close to each other, but one by one.

Behavior in times of danger

In a calm state, a sitting barn owl holds its body straight, and if the bird is disturbed, it takes a threatening posture - spreads its paws, spreads its wings in a horizontal plane and clings to the ground. When she meets the violator of her territorial possessions, she actively flaps her wings, coming closer and closer to the enemy. Hissing loudly and snapping its beak. If this does not help, then she attacks the enemy, falling on his back and striking with her clawed paws.

Barn owl chicks

Newly hatched chicks are completely dependent on their parents who alternately feed them. At birth, they are covered with thick white down. In the event that it is very cold, the barn owl does not leave the nest at all and warms the chicks, which become completely independent after three months. Grown up chicks fly away to new places and find another territory for living and reproduction. A barn owl can have even 10 chicks at a time, if conditions allow, but in a hungry year, as a rule, no more than 4 eggs are expected.

It is noted that the behavior of their chicks is atypical for birds: they show altruism, refusing food in favor of those who are more hungry than they are. Compared to most other birds, in which the cubs literally tear food from each other in order to eat themselves, this fact is of great interest to such a bird as the barn owl. A photo of her chicks shows how they look when they are born.

Parents show care even after their chicks fly out of the nest: they continue to care for and feed them until they become completely independent, that is, they reach the age of three months.

Attitude of people

The barn owl has always been a symbol of wisdom among people, but at the same time they treated this bird with superstitious fear. Now superstitions are becoming a thing of the past, and a person is increasingly showing genuine interest in her. Barn owls instilled fear in people because of some of their features: a white face resembling a mask, frightening sounds, and also because of the habit of this bird to silently fly up and appear sharply in front of a person, for which people called it a ghostly owl.

The barn owl mainly feeds on rodents, thereby benefiting humans. People have long appreciated the help of these owls in the destruction of pests. So, in the 17th century, such a practice spread when special windows were made in houses, barns, mills and other buildings through which barn owls could penetrate and destroy rodents. Thus, the birds remained full, and benefits were brought to man.

If they notice people nearby, they begin to behave very interestingly: they rise high, sway on their feet in different directions and at the same time make various grimaces. If you get very close to her, then she, as a rule, flies away.

How long a barn owl lives

Under natural conditions barn owls can live up to 18 years, but this is the maximum figure.
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