The Barn Owl is known for its remarkable hearing, facilitated by its flat, heart-shaped face which helps capture sound, allowing it to locate prey with extraordinary precision even in complete darkness. An efficient predator of rodents, some Barn Owls will store dozens of prey around the nest prior to hatch to ensure their young chicks will have plenty of food.

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The Barn Owl is found on all continents except Antarctica, but within Canada is restricted to the southwestern limits of British Columbia and Ontario. The Western population remains in British Columbia year-round, while those in the Eastern population overwinter in the eastern United States. The Western population is estimated to range between 250 and 1000 individuals, whereas the Eastern population likely has fewer than 20 individuals. Both at a population level and overall, these represent <1% of the global population, and a very low level of responsibility for Canada. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada has assessed the western population as Threatened, and the eastern population as Endangered (COSEWIC, 1999). Based on Christmas Bird Count data for British Columbia, the Western population has remained relatively stable at low population levels, and is therefore considered to be at acceptable levels relative to the Species at Risk Act goal of maintaining population size. The Eastern population lacks effective monitoring and a specific goal, and is therefore considered data deficient. The national goal and status match those of the western population, because it comprises the vast majority of the Canadian population.





The two Canadian populations of Barn Owl are monitored to different extents. The Western population is sampled fairly well by the Christmas Bird Count (CBC), and the long-term results have high precision, although overall reliability is considered only medium because the CBC is not highly standardized. That trend shows little change over both the long-term and short-term. The Eastern population is very small and probably fluctuates considerably (COSEWIC, 1999). The breeding population in Ontario was estimated to be 25-30 pairs in 1982 (Campbell and Campbell, 1983), but only three breeding attempts have been confirmed since 2001 (Ontario Barn Owl Recovery Team, 2010), although others are likely overlooked and under-reported. Although a decline is likely, the status is considered data deficient. Development of a survey protocol for the Ontario population could inform recovery efforts and future assessment (Ontario Barn Owl Recovery Team, 2010, Environment Canada, 2016), but has yet to be implemented.
The national goal for Barn Owl is to maintain a population of at least 600 individuals. This is based on the Species at Risk Act Recovery Strategy goal of maintaining current abundance of the Western population, which accounts for over 95% of the Canadian total (ECCC, 2022). The Recovery Strategy does not specify a goal for the small Eastern population, and data are insufficient to establish a goal. Monitoring data show that the national population of Barn Owl is currently within its goal range.
Designation | Geographic Area | Status | CITATION | Subpopulation |
---|---|---|---|---|
COSEWIC | Canada | Endangered | Eastern population | |
COSEWIC | Canada | Threatened | Western population | |
IUCN | Global | Least Concern | ||
Species At Risk Act | Canada | Endangered | Eastern population | |
Species At Risk Act | Canada | Threatened | Western population |
- COSEWIC. 1999. COSEWIC Status Report on the Barn Owl Tyto alba in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. vi + 31 pp.
- Campbell, E.C. and R.W. Campbell. 1983. Status Report on the Common Barn-owl (Tyto alba) in Canada – 1982. Report to British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Fish and Wildlife Branch, and Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. 71 pp.
- Environment Canada. 2016. Recovery Strategy for the Barn Owl (Tyto alba) Eastern Population in Canada [Proposed]. Species at Risk Act Recovery Strategy Series. Environment Canada, Ottawa. 24 pp. + Annexes. https://wildlife-species.canada.ca/species-risk-registry/document/default_e.cfm?documentID=2891.
- Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). 2022d. Recovery Strategy for the Barn Owl (Tyto alba), Western Population, in Canada 2022. https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry/recovery-strategies/barn-owl-2022.html#toc17.
- Ontario Barn Owl Recovery Team. 2010. Recovery strategy for the Barn Owl (Tyto alba) in Ontario. Ontario Recovery Strategy Series. Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Peterborough, Ontario. vi + 31 pp. http://files.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/species-at-risk/286962.pdf.

The Barn Owl is known for its remarkable hearing, facilitated by its flat, heart-shaped face which helps capture sound, allowing it to locate prey with extraordinary precision even in complete darkness. An efficient predator of rodents, some Barn Owls will store dozens of prey around the nest prior to hatch to ensure their young chicks will have plenty of food.
Barn Owl is reported nearly uniformly throughout the year in Canada.

