Barn Owl
(Tyto alba)

Summary

Picture of bird
© Laure Neish
For additional photos and vocalizations, visit Dendroica. (Link opens in a new window.)

The Barn Owl is found worldwide in areas with mild winters. In Canada, it is restricted to southwestern British Columbia and southern Ontario. The species is not well monitored in Canada, but because of threats to its habitat, a likely population decline, and the species' small population size, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada assessed the eastern population as Endangered and recently revised the status of the western population from Special Concern to Threatened (COSEWIC 2010i). This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.

Designations

Listing of the main designations for the species
DesignationStatusDateSubspecies, population
COSEWIC (Canada)Endangered2010Barn Owl (Eastern population)
COSEWIC (Canada)Threatened2010Barn Owl (Western population)
SARA (Canada)Endangered2003Barn Owl (Eastern population)
SARA (Canada)Special Concern2003Barn Owl (Western population)
IUCN (Global)Least Concern2012 
Wild Species (Canada)Sensitive2010 
Bird Conservation Region StrategyPriority Species2013 

Population status

Geographic areaStatusReliability
CanadaModerate DecreaseMedium
 

Population estimate

Canada< 5,000 adults
 

Distribution maps

 

Migration strategy, occurrence

Short-distance migrant

Responsibility for conservation of world population

CanadaVery Low

Conservation and management

Barn Owl populations in Canada face a number of threats. The first of these is harsh winter weather; the species does not fare well when there are long periods of deep snow cover which limit the birds' ability to hunt (Marti et al. 2005). Habitat loss through urbanization and intensification of agriculture is a major issue over much of its range, as is the loss of nest sites when old barns and other structures are modernised (Marti et al. 2005, COSEWIC 1999). Collisions with vehicles on highways is an important and increasing source of mortality (Marti et al. 2005, COSEWIC 1999). Barn Owls have the highest road mortality rates among raptors (Boves and Belthoff 2012, Borda-de-Agua et al. 2014). Females and juveniles are most likely to be killed because they may disperse over longer distances (Boves and Belthoff 2012). Finally, the risk of Barn Owls consuming rodenticide-laden prey is of increasing concern due to the toxicity and persistence of widely-used second generation rodenticides (Newton et al. 1991, Albert et al. 2009). For information on the legal status of this species under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) and to view available recovery documents, see the SARA Registry.

 

Bird conservation region strategies

Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:

  • conservation concerns (i.e., species vulnerable due to population size, distribution, population trend, abundance, or threats)
  • stewardship responsibilities (i.e., species that typify the regional avifauna or have a large proportion of their range or population in the sub-region)
  • management concerns (i.e., species that require ongoing management because of their socio-economic importance as game species, or because of their impacts on other species or habitats)
  • other concerns (i.e., species deemed a priority by regional experts for other reasons than those listed above or because they are listed as species at risk or concern at the provincial level)

Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.

BCRs, marine biogeographic units, and sub-regions in which the species is listed as a priority
RegionSub-region and priority type
Great BasinGreat Basin, sub-region and priority type: Pacific and Yukon Region
Lower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence PlainLower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Plain, sub-region and priority type: Ontario Region
Northern Pacific RainforestNorthern Pacific Rainforest, sub-region and priority type: Pacific and Yukon Region
 

References