Give a Hoot for Barn Owls

Have you ever heard the haunting screech of the barn owl?   The common barn owl has long been associated with man because of  its use of barn lofts and church steeples as nesting sites.  Come learn about this fascinating bird.  Read about its hunting and nesting habits.  Listen to its drawn-out rasping screech.  Have fun working puzzles and playing  games.  Learn how you can help protect these silent ghosts of the night.

The Tasks:

• learn the description and characteristics of the barn owl,
• listen to the calls of the barn owl,
• learn how to construct a nesting box for the barn owl,
• become aware of safety precautions necessary in caring for nesting boxes, and
• play games testing your knowledge about barn owls.

The Resources:

1.   The Common Barn Owl  site provides you with a description of and interesting facts about the common barn owl.  Information about the habitat, life history, and special adaptations of the barn owl are included.

2.  There are several barn owl calls.  This site has recorded the typical call, the call of the young, and chattering.

3.  Instructions for how to build nest boxes from easy to find materials are given at this site.   With the destruction of many old barns, natural nesting sites for the barn owl are disappearing.  In order to preserve this magnificent bird, many people are looking for easy yet functional ways to help.

4.  Safety precautions must be taken when cleaning and caring for nesting boxes.  This site offers helpful suggestions to follow so that you and the owl stay healthy.

5.  The Animal Game lets the player try to stump the computer.  The player thinks of an animal (an owl in this case) and answers Yes or No questions about the animal as the computer guesses what animal you are describing.

6.  A word search puzzle is found at this site.  The puzzle contains words related to barn owls.

The Process:

1.  The Common Barn Owl  site provides you with a description of and interesting facts about the common barn owl.  Visit this site and read about the habitat, life history, and special adaptations of the barn owl.

2.  There are several barn owl calls.  Listen and see if you can you tell the difference between the typical call, the call of the young, and chattering.

3.  Instructions for how to build nest boxes from easy to find materials are given at this site.  With the destruction of many old barns, natural nesting sites for the barn owl are disappearing.  In order to preserve this magnificent bird, many people are looking for easy yet functional ways to help.  Can you  follow some of the suggestions to  build a nesting box?  You might have ideas of your own to offer.

4.  Safety precautions must be taken when cleaning and caring for nesting boxes.  If you think you might provide a nesting place for barn owls, visit this site and pay careful attention to the  helpful suggestions to follow to help you and the owl stay healthy.  On a sheet of paper make a list of precautions to follow.

5.  Try to stump the computer at the Animal Game.  The computer will ask you  Yes or No questions about the animal and try to guess what animal you are describing.  Your answers should be about owls..

6.  Print a copy of the word search puzzle .  See if you can find all of the listed words related to barn owls.

7.  Play an interactive game at Quia.com using information you have learned.  You can choose from matching, flashcards, concentration, and a word search.

Learning Advice:

    1.  Can you give a description of the barn owl?

    2.  Where do barn owls live?

    3.  Where do they breed?

    4.  How do they hunt?

    5.  What do they eat?

    6.  What can we do to protect them?

Conclusion:

This page was written by Carol Knight for Dr. Bruce Lewis for EDU 506 at Freed-Hardeman University and was last updated on March 3, 2001.