Barn owl
Tyto alba
- Size
- About 35cm long, wingspan 90cm
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Rough grassland, field edges and old barns
A pale, ghostly owl with a white, heart-shaped face, floating low over the fields at dusk.
The barn owl that follows you
This page is a field on a farm. Move your pointer across it and your animal will float, run, hop or hover after you. Choose a different animal at the bottom, and tap the notes to open them.
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01 · FaceA heart-shaped face
The heart-shaped face works like a dish, gathering sound and sending it to the owl's ears.
02 · EarsLopsided ears
One ear is higher than the other, which lets it pinpoint a vole in long grass by sound alone.
03 · FlightSilent wings
Soft, fringed feathers let a barn owl fly almost without a sound.
04 · VoiceA screech, not a hoot
Barn owls do not hoot. They make a long, eerie screech, and the chicks hiss and snore.
05 · FoodVole hunter
A pair with chicks can catch several thousand voles, mice and shrews in a year.
06 · RainNot waterproof
Their soft feathers soak up rain, so barn owls struggle to hunt in wet weather.
Meet them all
Who's who on the farm
Lapwing
Vanellus vanellus
- Size
- About 30cm long
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Farmland, wet meadows and marshes
A black and white wader with a glossy green back and a long, wispy crest.
Brown rat
Rattus norvegicus
- Size
- Body about 25cm, tail nearly as long
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Farms, hedge bottoms, riverbanks, towns and anywhere there is food
A clever, grey-brown rodent with a pointed face, bare ears and a long, scaly tail.
Pheasant
Phasianus colchicus
- Size
- Males up to 85cm long, half of it tail
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Farmland, woodland edges and hedgerows
The male is hard to miss: copper-coloured, with a dark green head, red face and a very long tail.
Rabbit
Oryctolagus cuniculus
- Size
- About 40cm long
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Field edges, hedge banks, heaths and dunes
Grey-brown, with long ears, big back feet and a fluffy white tail that flashes as it runs.
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculus
- Size
- About 34cm long
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Farmland, road verges, moors and even city centres
A small falcon with a chestnut back, famous for hanging still in the air while it hunts.
Through the year
When to look for them
The green months are when you're most likely to see each one in Britain. The animal following you is shown in red.
Barn owl
Lapwing
Brown rat
Pheasant
Rabbit
Kestrel
In the countryside
Six ways to be a good visitor
Keep to the footpath
Walk round the edge of a field, not through the crop. Lapwings and skylarks nest out in the middle.
Leave gates as you find them
If a gate is shut, shut it behind you. If it is open, leave it open. The farmer has a reason either way.
Dogs under control
Keep dogs on a lead near farm animals and during the nesting season, from March to July.
Go out at dusk
The hour before dark is the best time to see a barn owl hunting along a field edge.
Look in the hedge
A thick hedge is a larder and a motorway for wildlife. Look for berries, nests and small paths through the bottom.
Take everything home
Litter can hurt both farm animals and wild ones. Take it all home, including fruit peel.
Photo gallery
Real photos of the animals on this page. Tap one to see it bigger.
Barn owl
Lapwing
Brown rat
Pheasant
Rabbit
Kestrel
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons and are used under free licences. Open a photo to see who took it.
Now walk a field edge
Follow a footpath along a hedge at dusk and keep your eyes on the rough grass. That strip at the edge is where most of the wildlife on a farm lives.
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