  A medium sized, pale coloured owl with
whitish underparts. The bill is short and deep, with a sharply hooked tip. The eyes are
brown, bill whitish or pale pink and the feet are pinkish, legs are feathered with
buff-coloured feathers. The upperparts are tawny-brown and pale grey, with white spots.
The face and underparts are white, with small brown spots on the breast and belle. It has
an obvious face-mask, which is whitish and heart shaped. The dark eyes stand out
prominently on the pale face.
Name: Elanus axillaris
Habitat: Semi-desert to forest edges. Often found near human habitation, which
provides nesting and roosting sites.
Distribution: The Barn Owl is one of the most successful and widespread
predators on earth, being found across the globe, and in almost all habitats.
Diet Description: Rodents.
Socialisation: Barn Owl usually occurs in pairs and spends the day
roosting in a hidden cavity, which might be in an old building, mineshaft, nest or natural
cavity in rock or tree.
Reproduction: It breeds mainly from August to September in the western Cape and
March-May elsewhere. Breeding is timed to coincide with the best season for hunting when
the chicks are being cared for. It does not build a nest but simply lays the eggs on a
suitable depression.
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