Owls are the oldest living birds with origins tracing back 60 million years. They have been featured in almost all ancient mythology and the barn owl has been part of English folklore since long ago. People often associate the barn owl with doom because they’re nocturnal and associated with darkness and therefore associated with death. The barn owl has also been called “demon owl”, “death owl” or “ghost owl”. Many considered barn owls to be birds of evil omen. Owls that fly by the window of a person who is sick is a sign of impending death. Sorely misunderstood as bad in popular culture, having barn owls on your property, is actually a good thing. They are unlike other birds of prey, small and gentle creatures that will not bother you and have a fondness for small rodents, making them the ultimate in pest control. Many misconceptions about barn owls make people fear them and may cause them to harm or kill them. There are no instances that have been recorded where a barn owl has attacked a human anywhere in the world.
Barn Owls Appearance, Behavior & Sounds
Barn owls are the most widely distributed species of owl and one of the most widespread of all land birds. They have a ghostly pale white, heart-shaped face with dark eyes and have smoothly rounded heads and ears absent of tufts. They have white, silver and gold feathers with a mix of gray and buff on the head, back, and upper wings. If you see them at night, they may appear to be totally white. They have long rounded wings and a short, square-like tail. The hearing of the barn owl is the most sensitive of any creature tested. The heart shape of the barn owls face collects sound the same way our ears do. They fly almost completely silent which makes it easy for them to hear their prey. They’re able to capture prey in total darkness using only their hearing as they can pick up the slightest sounds that animals make as they move in the grass or under the snow. You can locate barn owls by listening for them. They do not hoot like other owls. They make eerie, raspy screech-like calls that are quite different that the sounds that other owls make. They will roost in hidden places during the day that are quiet, like the cavities of trees, empty barns or silos, barn lofts, church steeples and in dense trees. Due to habitat loss, the numbers of barn owls are decreasing in parts of the world. We do not need to be fearful of barn owls. Bring back the numbers of barn owls by allowing a patch of grassland to grow wild to create a habitat for small rodents. You can also put up a safe, deep nest box and use non-toxic rodent control as many barn owls die from eating rodents that have ingested poison.
Custom Owl Chainsaw Carvings in Las Vegas & Helena Montana
Clark the Carver from Carve Me a Bear! Chainsaw Carvings can carve pretty much anything and has been doing so since 1986. He creates custom, one of a kind creations and loves to chainsaw carve wood owls. If you want a barn owl of your own, contact Clark today!