LIVE BARN OWL WEBCAM IN CALIFORNIA

More info: Barn owl nesting in California occurs at different times of year depending where the birds live. In Southern California they can nest year-round. A typical clutch is composed of 5 - 7 eggs which are incubated for around 32 days.

Barn owls are medium sized owls which stand around 10 to 12 inches high, and despite their size, they are exceedingly light, weighing about a pound (454 grams).

Barn owls hunt most often at dusk, midnight, and dawn, but in times of hunger they may hunt in daylight as well. Their diet consists mainly of rodents and especially voles, but also includes mice, small rats, shrews, young rabbits and sometimes birds, lizards and insects. Barn owls will often kill more than they can consume at a sitting and stockpile food for later.

Barn owls have such good hearing, they can hunt with high accuracy in total darkness by homing in on the footsteps and nibbling sounds that rodents make. Some researchers believe that they can actually tell what type and size of rodent they are hearing.

A barn owl’s ear openings are placed just behind the eyes and the feathers on the edge of the birds heart shaped face create a disc, which works to trap and focus sound. One ear is higher than the other. During flight, the left ear captures sounds below, whilst the right ear focuses on sounds from above. A barn owl’s very soft feathers enable silent flight so the owl is able to listen out for tiny sounds from its prey. The reason that barn owls bob and weave their heads is to gain depth perception