Dawn is a captive-raised barn owl from the eastern panhandle of WV and recently retired from being a captive-raised breeder. She was hatched in 2018 and came to TRAC in December 2023. Since she is captive-raised and heavily habituated, she cannot be released into the wild. She weighs about 20 ounces and has about a 28 inch wingspan.
Barn Owls are one of the most widespread species of owl around the world and have some of the best hearing of any animal. In some places in the world they are called the “monkey faced owl” or “ghost owl.” They hunt small rodents primarily, such as voles (a favorite food), shrews, mice, moles, chipmunks, and sometimes rabbits.
They live in temperate areas where winters are mild. Nesting cavity locations can vary, but they can be found in hollow trees, cliffs, caves, river banks, church steeples, barn lofts, nesting boxes, and old or abandoned buildings, but not in mountainous or forested landscapes. They are highly nocturnal and very reclusive, so it’s uncommon to see them out and about. They hunt by flying silently and low over fields and open landscapes, coursing back and forth to catch an unwary rodent. They don’t live a long time in the wild; the average is just under 2 years. The record for the oldest one (a banded bird) was 34 years old. In captivity they can live to be about 20 years old.
