Barn Owl: The Ghostly Hunter Making Daylight Appearances

We've had a number of recent reports of Barn Owls hunting during daylight hours in northern Utah. The Barn Owl is considered strictly nocturnal so seeing one hunt during the day is a rare opportunity for bird and especially owl observers. I use the word "opportunity" from our human perspective because daytime hunts from the owl's perspective are the result of difficult times. It is most likely severe hunger that causes the Barn Owl to leave its secluded daytime roost to look for food. Sustained sub-freezing temperatures in northern Utah have caused the owl's hunting grounds to remain snow covered for weeks. It could also be other factors that have caused the food source to be scarce in the owl's normal territory.

Male Barn Owl on Temporary Perch Before Resuming a Daytime Hunt in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Saturday afternoon I came upon the Barn Owl shown above as it was hunting over the agricultural fields near my neighborhood. It was coursing low over the fields and along the road in a very quiet and buoyant manner and would occasionally do a quick drop into the snow below.  Barn owls often hunt by sound so it is likely the owl was pouncing where it heard and suspected rodents moving beneath the snow.  The owl would remain in the snow momentarily and then resume the hunt. I watched the owl hunt in this fashion for about ten to fifteen minutes, without success, before I had to leave.

The images below were taken from quite a distance as the owl coursed over the fields. They have been cropped a bit so the quality is not what I typically prefer, but it does show a little of the birds hunting style.

Barn Owl During Daytime Hunt Over Agricultural Fields in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Barn Owl During Daytime Hunt Over Agricultural Fields in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Barn Owl During Daytime Hunt Over Agricultural Fields in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

The owl perched and rested on a power line for a brief moment before it resumed its hunt and I had to leave for other activities. The bright white facial disc and mostly white chest with sparsely placed black spots are indicative of a male Barn Owl. The first image below shows the owl in the middle of a blink so its dark brown irises are covered by a white lid. It also has one leg tucked up into the feathers of its belly.

Adult Male Barn Owl on Temporary Perch During Daytime Hunt Over Agricultural Fields in Pleasant Grove, UT
(Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Adult Male Barn Owl on Temporary Perch During Daytime Hunt Over Agricultural Fields in Pleasant Grove, UT
(Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Here is an image of a female Barn Owl that was captured at a different time and location. I present it as a frame of reference for seeing the difference in color and spotting between adult males and females. The female below has a tawny colored chest and shows many more prominent black spots than the male above.

Barn Owls eat their prey whole, have the greatest hearing ability of any animal tested, and share hunting grounds with other Barn Owls.  The female makes a nest from her regurgitated pellet material. The male starts bringing food to the female about a month before she starts laying eggs. Barn Owls breed in response to food supply and may breed multiples times in a year with ample food supply. However, most pairs begin breeding in late winter/early spring. Average life span appears to be about two years. Many die in their first year. You can find these and other cool facts and information about Barn Owls at http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/barn_owl/lifehistory and The Owl Pages.