Press Releases - Jan/Feb 2006 - Item 5

No. 2006/01/05
January 2006

Predicting the future for Barn Owls

2005 was a great year for Barn Owls, with record numbers of chicks raised in many areas of the country, but what does 2006 hold for the Nation’s Barn Owl population? An article in the latest edition of BTO News may give us some insight into the year ahead.

Having been in decline for most of the 20th Century, the 2005 breeding season provided a welcome change for the UK Barn Owl population. Many areas of the country had a ‘bumper’ year with more chicks raised than normal and with some pairs producing more than one brood.

So, what factors lead to a good year for Barn Owls and was 2005 the beginning of change of fortunes for British Barn Owls?

Participants in the BTO’s Barn Owl Monitoring Programme (BOMP) have been monitoring the breeding success of the species across the UK over the last five years and the latest results are reported in the most recent issue of the BTO magazine, BTO News.

“Basically, cold and wet winters are bad for Barn Owls,” says Dave Leech, a Research Scientist from BOMP. “Wet weather makes it difficult for owls to hunt and low temperatures can lead to a decrease in small mammal populations which means that owls have a harder time getting into breeding condition, the less prey available the fewer pairs will breed. Also, the temperature will affect when the birds start to breed and how many eggs they lay. All these factors will determine whether it’s a good or bad season for Barn Owls.”

So what does the future hold? Climate change models are predicting wetter and warmer winters for the UK. Increasing temperatures would appear to be good for Barn Owls but the increase in rainfall may cancel out any positive benefits of this change.

“We just don’t know what the future holds for Barn Owls in this country, which is why it is crucial that we continue to monitor them and see how changes in weather affect their breeding success,” Dave adds.

Will 2006 see a continuation in the Barn Owls good fortunes or will a cold and wet winter get the better of them? Whatever happens, BOMP will be monitoring Barn Owls across the UK and reporting on their progress.

Notes for Editors

1) The Barn Owl Monitoring Scheme is funded by the Sheepdrove Trust, the Wildlife Conservation Partnership and the BTO Owl Appeal.

2) Barn Owls experienced a ‘bumper’ season in 2005 over much of the country, with a greater number of chicks than average produced in many regions. This is welcome news indeed for a much-loved species with a troubled past. Once considered the nation’s commonest owl, numbers fell considerably between the mid-19th century and the late 1960s, a decline from which they have yet to recover.

3) Licensed BTO ringers and other volunteers contribute their data to the Barn Owl Monitoring Programme. See http://www.bto.org/survey/bomp/index.htm

4) There are 4,000 pairs of Barn Owls nesting in the UK. Barn Owls are birds of farmland, especially in southwest Scotland, northwest England, the English/Welsh border, western Wales, southwest England and East Anglia.

5) Licensed BTO bird ringers ring large numbers of nestling Barn Owls each year. Sadly, lots of these owls meet untimely ends as they try to get to grips with a world dominated by man. For instance, a large proportion (45%) of ringed Barn Owls are reported as road casualties. A slightly less predictable cause of death is drowning in water troughs; this mainly seems to be a problem for breeding females, desperate to bathe after weeks sitting on their eggs.

6) Wonderful Barn Owl pictures are available to use alongside this story. Contact for electronic versions.

7) The BTO has a dedicated ISDN line available for radio interviews.

For further information contact:

Dave Leech or Martin Fowlie on 01842 750050 (during office hours)
or email:

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