Barn Owl – Goblin

Description

HATCH YEAR: 2008

FUN FACTS ABOUT GOBLIN

• Goblin is very sound based with his flight training sessions. If he gets distracted flying between his two trainers, all the trainer has to do is make a sound called a pish, and he will redirect his flight to make it to the trainer. Sometimes turning his body completely around mid flight!
• Goblin was named after David Bowie’s role as the Goblin King, Jareth, in the movie Labyrinth.

SPECIES FACTS

Scientific Name:

• Tyto alba. Greek and Latin origin, meaning “white owl.”

Distribution:

• Barn Owls are found on every continent except Antarctica.

Habitat:

• They prefer open fields to hunt in such as grasslands, prairies, and agricultural areas.
• Nest in hollow trees, nest boxes, caves, cliffs, barns and other structures.

Diet:

• Best mousers of any animal species ever recorded. They can hear a mouse’s foot steps from around 1/4 of a mile away! One Barn Owl usually catches on average 3-4 mice a day.
• Will also eat other small mammals like rats, voles, lemmings, shrews, bats, and rabbits.

Behavior:

• Nocturnal hunters.
• Unlike most other owl species, Barn Owls do not hoot, they scream! Making them the source of many ghost stories throughout the ages.
• A Barn Owl mating pair are monogamous, meaning they will mate for life. A pair will usually raise two broods a year. Number of chicks is usually 5-7 per clutch of eggs.

Identification:

• Heart shaped facial disk with white, brown, and grey body feathers.
• Females are larger than the males and will usually be darker and have a distinct golden ring around their facial disk. In males this golden ring is very light in coloration.