Gioca STEMAnimals

Animals · Woods and fields of North America

Barn owl

Tyto alba

The quietest flight in the world

The barn owl glides a few feet above the ground along the edge of a cultivated field.
The barn owl glides a few feet above the ground along the edge of a cultivated field.
  • Status: Safe
  • Open countryside and woodland edges, on all continents except Antarctica

Numbers

Weight
12 ozin Europe 11 ounces for males and 14 ounces for females; worldwide from 7 to over 18 ounces
Length
14 infrom 13 to 15 inches; the material uses the term height for this measurement
Lifespan
4 yearsfrom 3 to 4 years in the wild
Wingspan
37 infrom 31 to 37 inches, compared to a body under 16 inches
Mice per day
3 micea pair raising chicks catches many more
Eggs per clutch
6 eggsfrom four to six, laid two to three days apart

Ten fun facts

  1. its flight is considered the quietest of all known birds, allowing it to surprise prey in total silence.

  2. the wingspan reaches up to thirty-seven inches, compared to a body length of less than sixteen inches.

  3. an adult eats about three mice a day, and a pair raising chicks will catch far more.

  4. it lives on every continent except Antarctica, but avoids cold environments like the Alps and Scandinavia.

  5. the female lays four to six white eggs, one every two or three days, incubating them over a month.

  6. for their first month, chicks cannot regulate their own body temperature and depend entirely on maternal heat.

  7. pairs stay together for life, but if one dies, the survivor immediately looks for a new partner.

  8. its Italian name comes from barba, a northern word for uncle, joined with Gianni, meaning uncle John.

  9. if cornered, it flips onto its back and kicks with its feet, which are long and strong.

  10. farmers welcome it because it eliminates rats, mice, and moles, which are harmful to crops.

The quiz answers

Five questions about this animal. Pick an answer and find out if it is the right one.

Question 1 of 5

What record does the flight of the barn owl hold?

Question 2 of 5

How wide is its wingspan?

Question 3 of 5

How many mice does an adult eat per day?

Question 4 of 5

Why do farmers install nest boxes in barns?

Question 5 of 5

What does the Italian name barbagianni mean?

Try it yourself

Experiment 1

Open your arms and measure the distance between your hands. A barn owl's wingspan reaches thirty-seven inches: compare that to your own measurement.

Experiment 2

Weigh eleven ounces of rice on a kitchen scale: that is how much a European male weighs, including wings nearly three feet wide.

Experiment 3

Mark three mice a day on a calendar for an entire month: that equals about ninety prey caught by a single nocturnal hunter.

Data from Wikidata (Q25317) and Wikipedia (Western barn owl).