Malaysian Beauties Ep03 Barn Owl

They are, however, the most widely distributed species of owl. There are 16 species worldwide and 2


Barn owls are well adapted to hunt in total darkness. It’s eyes are considerably big for it’s skull and are fixed by a ring of bone which unables it to move it’s eyes like we do. To compensate, it can rotate it’s head to an almost 250 degrees. Owl’s eyes are the most forward facing in the bird world allowing to gauge the distance between them and their prey very well. When it catches a mouse, it will lean forward upon impact to crush the mouse’s head or neck. Their hearing is much more impressive than their sight. Their ear openings are concealed under the feathers of the facial disc. They’re much larger than in other birds and is covered by an ear flap which is moveable. They are used in the same way as a deer moves it’s ears to locate sounds. The ear flaps of the barn owl is asymmtrical. This placement exaggerates the displacement of sound waves ans helps the owl to pinppoint the source of the sound. Even their wings play an important role when hunting, the edges of most of than main flight feathers are serrated and it’s underside is shiny, allowing for silent flight. Basically it’s entire body is built for silence.
The barn owl hunts by flying slowly, quartering the ground and hovering over spots that may conceal prey. It may also use branches, fence posts or other lookouts to scan its surroundings, and this is the main means of prey location in the oil palm plantations of Malaysia. The bird has long, broad wings, enabling it to manoeuver and turn abruptly. Small prey is usually torn into chunks and eaten completely including bones and fur. After about 4 hours of digestion, the fur and bones are collected to form a pallette within the owl to prepare it for regurgitation, much like a hair ball.
Barn owls living in tropical regions can breed at any time of year, but some seasonality in nesting is still evident. Where there are distinct wet and dry seasons, egg-laying usually takes place during the dry season, with increased rodent prey becoming available to the birds as the vegetation dies off. Barn owls are usually monogamous, sticking to one partner for life unless one of the pair dies
Barn owls are cavity nesters. They choose holes in trees. Before commencing laying, the female

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Sources:
Los Angeles Times
http://articles.latimes.com/1992-11-01/news/mn-1703_1_barn-owl
The Private Life of the Barn Owl Documentary
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barn_owl
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