In the spotlight: Barn owl

Barn owls live in open or semi-open cultural landscapes, close to villages and cities. They build their nests in church towers, barns and other quiet buildings with dark corners. They hunt in open fields and meadows in the immediate vicinity, preferably where these are interspersed with herb-rich field edges, wood edges, hedgerows or small woods. The barn owl generally spends its entire life in the same place, including winter. This makes them vulnerable to winters with prolonged frost and snow because hunting is then made more difficult.
The barn owl hunts in the dark by flying just above the ground and scanning the ground for food. Sometimes they also hunt from a low vantage point such as posts. They use their extremely good sight and hearing when doing so.
Pairs remain faithful to each other for many years. Two broods of four to seven eggs are usually laid, although in mouse-rich years there may be as many as 12. Eggs can be laid from February to sometimes well into the fall. The mother stays near the nest while the father provides a supply of food.
The female begins incubating immediately after laying the first egg. As a result, the young do not hatch simultaneously and there can be a significant size difference between them. If, during the course of the breeding season, too little food does turn out to be available, the youngest chick is sacrificed to allow its older siblings to survive. On average, a barn owl lives three to six years.  A barn owl can turn its head almost 270°, which allows them to easily look around without turning their body.

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