The Barn owl (Tyto alba) is the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widespread of all birds. It does not hoot, it screeches. Barn Owls hunt at night, and although they have very good eyesight, they rely mostly on their sense of hearing. The barn owl can fly almost silently. This enables it to hear the slightest sounds made by its rodent prey hidden in deep vegetation while it’s flying up to three metres overhead. The barn owl’s heart-shaped face collects sound in the same way as human ears. Its hearing is the most sensitive of any creature tested. In order to live and breed, a pair of barn owls needs to eat around 5,000 prey items a year. These are mainly field voles, wood mice, and common shrews.
