The long-legged Barn Owl is unique. Its white, heart-shaped face and dark eyes are unmistakable. No other owl has this facial pattern. In flight the light buff plumage is conspicuous. It is sometimes mistaken for the Snowy Owl. There are no ear tufts. Color varies from bird to bird, some being quite dark.
The darkest birds are always females, palest birds males.
The crow-sized Barn Owl (length: 15-21 inches, wingspread: 3'8"), which nests in barns, belfries and hollow trees, is important in controlling rodents injurious to orchard and garden crops. It has no close relatives but has a world-wide range. Adults and young are similar. It is a permanent resident throughout its range. The female lays 5-11 rough white, unmarked eggs. (1.6 x 1.2 inches.) Incubation lasts from 32 to 34 days, with a fledging period of 9 to 12 weeks. Quite often a pair will raise two broods in a year. As is usual with owls, incubation starts with the laying of the first egg, resulting in staggered hatching. This can mean great disparity in size and the development of the chicks, sometimes resulting in the last to hatch not surviving.
It nests underground in burrows or holes in embankments or elevated nests of other birds; steeples or barns. There is usually no nest, but the owls sometimes use rubbish or debris. Food includes mice, rats, gophers and some birds. It has also been known to feed on bats, frogs, lizards, large insects and even fish. Typical call is a raspy, hissing screech. The owl's habitat is woodlands, groves, fields, farms, towns, canyons or cliffs.
