What Do Barn Owls Eat? Everything You Need To Know

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  • Post last modified:April 25, 2022

Barn owl eating meat piece 1

What Do Barn Owls Eat?

Barn owls can be found on every continent, with the exception of Antarctica. Barn owls can be found all across the world, including North America, Europe, Asia, and even Africa. Barn owls eat a variety of prey, including rodents, small animals, and small mammals.

Barn owls are known to eat a variety of insects, including flies and mosquitoes. Throughout this essay, I’ll offer you with some further information about the barn owls’ dietary habits.

List of Rodents and Mammals That Barn Owls Eat

  • Voles
  • Mice
  • Lemmings
  • Rats
  • Rabbits
  • Shrews

List of Reptiles and Amphibians that Barn Owls Eat

  • Non-poisonous snakes
  • Anoles
  • Geckos
  • Skinks
  • Toads
  • Frogs
  • Newts

List of Other Small Birds That Barn Owls Eats

  • Blackbirds
  • Sparrows
  • Meadowlarks
  • Starlings

List of Invertebrates That Barn Owls Eats

  • Spiders
  • Earthworms
  • Centipedes
  • Snails
  • Crickets 
  • Moths
  • Crabs
  • Beetles

Do Barn Owls Eat Animals And Insects?

Birds, bats, squirrels, rats, baby birds, bugs, bees, fish, frogs, worms, moles, toads, moths, crows, blue jays, and snakes are among the prey that barn owls consume.

Aside from dead animals, barn owls eat carrion such as dead chickens and rabbits, chipmunks and dead mice, skunks, rattlesnakes, raccoons, ground squirrels, hedgehogs, gophers, hummingbirds, starlings, robins, stoats, possums, and pigeons.

Despite the fact that they are carnivores, barn owls can also consume a variety of fruits, berries, plants, seeds, insects, eggs, ducks, kittens, weasels, and other small animals.

Do Owls Eat Chickens? Everything You Need To Know

Barn owls do not prey on cats or dogs; instead, they prey on small rodents and other small animals. Barn owls are capable of preying on other owls.

Barn owls often consume food 2-4 times each day, however they do not consume excessive amounts of food. Yes, barn owls can and do consume the prey that they catch. Aside from that, barn owls prey on other birds such as blackbirds and starlings.

Yes, many barn owls will consume their young or babies, which is understandable. Barn owls are known to prey on small birds, mice, voles, and other rodents when they are kept in captivity.

Barn Owls Eating mice

What Are Barn Owls’ Favorite Food?

Rodents, especially mice and rats, are barn owls’ favorite food. But it’s not every day they will come across rodents. Nevertheless, barn owls are opportunistic hunters, meaning they can easily adapt whenever there is a scarcity of their most preferred prey. So, barn owls normally eat other creatures like lizards and frogs not because it’s their choice but because they need to survive.

What Do Baby Barn Owls Eat?

Just like their parents, baby owls also eat meat. Baby barn owls cannot open their eyes until they are 10 days old. That is why they rely entirely on their parents to give them food until they are 3-5 months old. Which means they don’t have much of a choice when it comes to food preferences.

How Much Do Barn Owls Eat?

The quantity of food consumed by barn owls depends on their body weight. Barn owls eat approximately 10% of their body weight on an average day. For example, a barn owl weighing 620g eats 62g of food per day. Though they normally exceed 10% most days.

Foods to Avoid When Feeding a Pet Barn Owl

Do not feed your pet barn owl the following:

• Deep frozen food

• Wild rats unless you’re sure they are free from rodenticides

• Pigeons as they normally carry a number of avian diseases

• Rabbits because they are too big and you might choke your barn owl even if it has been chopped.

• Avoid dead animals and rodents unless you know their cause of death.

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