Perch Supply
Diet

What do barn owls eat?

Voles and mice, located by hearing alone.

Barn owls (Tytonidae)Barn OwlTyto alba

Spring and summer diet

  • Voles, mice, rats and shrews

Fall and winter diet

  • Voles and rats

Best feeder foods

  • None — a large barn-owl box on a pole or barn is the draw

The best rodent control a farm can have; a single family takes thousands of voles a year.

Which feeder works best for barn owls →

Where barn owls need winter food

Regions where barn owls are present in the cold months:

AlabamaArizonaArkansasBritish ColumbiaCaliforniaDelawareFloridaGeorgiaIllinoisIndianaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMarylandMississippiMissouriNebraskaNew JerseyNew MexicoNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasVirginiaWashingtonWest Virginia

Frequently asked

What do barn owls eat?

Voles and mice, located by hearing alone.

What is the best food to feed barn owls?

None — a large barn-owl box on a pole or barn is the draw.

What do barn owls eat in winter?

Voles and rats.

Sources

  1. Barn Owl — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  2. Barn Owl life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  3. Barn Owl — Audubon Guide to North American Birds
  4. NestWatch nest box plans and species requirements — Cornell Lab

Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.