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Barn Owl Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769) |
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Family: Barn Owls (Tytonidae)
State Protection: Protected Wildlife 
This level of state protection means: wild game, protected wild birds, and endangered species of wildlife. Federal Protection: Migratory Bird Treaty Act
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act implements various treaties and
conventions between the U. S. and Canada, Japan, Mexico and the former
Soviet Union for the protection of migratory birds. Under this Act,
taking, killing, or possessing migratory birds, including nests or eggs,
is unlawful unless specifically permitted by other regulations. State Rarity Rank: S1
A State Rarity Rank of S1 means: Typically 5 or fewer occurrences, very few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or some factor of its biology makes it especially vulnerable in New York State. Global Rarity Rank: G5
A Global Rarity Rank of G5 means: Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery. Did you know? In New York, resident barn owls nest in all seasons and will double brood within a year if the prey populations are abundant. For example, in 1938 a female laid eggs in March and the again in November. The following year, the same female had nestlings in July then again in December (Levine 1998). |
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| State Ranking Justification |
| While Barn Owls are difficult to locate because they rarely vocalize and are nocturnal, a comparison of the two New York Breeding Bird Atlases show that the number of blocks where Barn Owls have been reported has greatly declined. During the first Breeding Bird Atlas, Barn Owls were reported from 126 Breeding Bird Atlas blocks with 64 blocks where probable or confirmed breeding was recorded (Andrle and Carroll 1988). Between 2000 and 2005, the second Breeding Bird Atlas reported a total of 28 blocks. Fourteen of those blocks were recorded as probable or confirmed breeding (McGowan and Corwin 2008). The current breeding records are largely clustered from three areas: Staten Island, Kennedy Airport, and the north shore area of Long Island around Oyster Bay. Barn Owls now appear to be very rare in upstate New York and not particularly regular in their occurrence. In addition, breeding success for this species often depends on human intervention such as the placement of nest boxes in suitable habitat. |
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Home | Advanced Search | About Us Animal Guides | Plant Guides | Community Guides © 2004-2005 New York Natural Heritage Program, a partnership between the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and The Nature Conservancy Please cite this page as:
New York Natural Heritage Program. 2009. Online Conservation Guide for Tyto alba. Available from: http://www.acris.nynhp.org/guide.php?id=6941. Accessed September 2nd, 2010. 
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