Barn owl

    Tyto alba

Castilian: Lechuza común

Catalan: Òliba

Gallego: Curuxa

Euskera: Hontza zuria

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Strigiformes

Family: Tytonidae

Migratory status: Permanent resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

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THREATS

Owls have always been habitual residents in rural areas and even in cities, but as a result of drastic changes in rural environments, the abuse of pesticides and the loss of nesting places due to building renovations, owls now find themselves threatened. Another factor to consider is the owls being run over by vehicles, which produces thousands of deaths annually.

Length / size: 33-39 cm / 80-95 cm

Identification: Medium-sized bird of prey with a slender appearance and an unmistakeable heart-shaped head. Its eyes are black and its bill is light in colour. The adult's plumage has shades of gold on its back with black, grey and white dots, which contrasts with the belly area, which can be mottled.

Song: They make different sounds, which are in general screechy and strident. The most common one is a very loud and metallic hiss that increases in volume.

Diet: It shows a preference for field mice, rats, moles and shrews; in its roost it catches small birds, large insects, amphibians and reptiles. Because of its fast metabolism it needs more food than other predators that are similar.

Reproduction: It begins in March, although the existence of broods has been document year round, given the tendency to live near humans. The nest lacks structure and is positioned on the ground or on a ledge; the chicks hatch asynchronously, and a feeding hierarchy is established that can cause the smallest chicks to die. The male provides the prey and the female tears it apart to feed the chicks.

HABITAT

It prefers open or semi-wooded areas, although it also lives in grasslands, steppe areas, or suburban areas, breeding in lofts, barns and bell towers.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: it is distributed throughout all of Spain.

In Castile and León: It breeds in all the provinces.

Movements and migrations: Western European populations are sedentary, although they sometimes make short movements. The populations in more northern areas do make long journeys during winter.

POPULATION

In Spain: In 1997 there was an estimated population of 50000-90000 breeding pairs. But because of the Noctua programme in place from 1998 to 2004, a decline of almost 50% has been detected.

In Castile and León: In 1999, there was an estimated population of 5000-6000 breeding pairs.