The Game Commission is expanding the agency's Barn Owl Conservation Initiative into its Northwest and Northeast regions by seeking information about active and historic barn owl nest sites.

The primary objective of this program is to locate and monitor barn owl nest sites and distribute nest boxes to interested landowners with suitable habitat to help reverse the population decline of this species.

"Barn owls have been in decline for several decades, and are a species that the Game Commission has targeted in its Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy," said Dan Brauning, Game Commission Wildlife Diversity Section supervisor. "Game Commission biologists, working with landowners, believe that barn owls have great management and recovery potential throughout the state, especially in the southern portions of Pennsylvania."

The barn owl conservation initiative was announced by the Game Commission last September for the Southcentral and Southeast Regions, and expanded to the Southwest Region in February. The agency now is seeking to expand into the state's three northern regions.

The Commission has also opened a new "Barn Owl Conservation" webpage to provide information about the initiative, directions on how to build a barn owl nesting structure, a barn owl fact sheet, and a registration form for landowners to notify the Game Commission that they have erected a barn owl nesting box and will assist the agency by providing data about the use of the nesting box by any barn owls.

Barn owls stand about 10-15 inches tall and have a wingspan of 41-47 inches. Their distinctive long heart-shaped facial disk has led to this owl being referred to as the "monkey-faced owl" by some people. They have a nearly pure-white to dusky breast with small spots, small dark eyes, and have a hissing or scream-like vocalization.

They are found in agricultural fields, grasslands, and other open areas. They nest in cavities of large dead trees, rock crevices and even burrows in riverbanks. More often, as their name implies, they nest in barns, silos, abandoned buildings and artificial nest boxes.

"Because barn owls feed primarily on rodents, they are beneficial to farmers," Brauning said. "An average family of barn owls can consume up to 3,000 rodents over the course of the breeding season."

To determine if you have a barn owl on your property, look in barns, silos, abandoned buildings and below possible roost sites for regurgitated owl pellets, which are dense pellets of undigested fur and bone one to two inches long. Also, after sunset, listen for long hissing shrieks, which are very different from the typical "hoots" of most owls.

6/2/2006