Barn Owl Sounds & What Each Call Means | Discover Wildlife | Robert E Fuller

For such a beautiful bird, the barn owl call is rather haunting. It's more of a screech than a hoot. Which is why they've earned the nickname the screech owl. The iconic twit-to-oo actually belongs to the tawny owl. The barn owl is the most widespread species of owl found on every continent apart from Antarctica. Here in the UK it's one of five owl species and each have their different calls. In this video I'm going to show you the different calls of a barn owl and what they mean. From gentle chitters to threatening screeches and even beak clacking. The best time to hear a barn owl calling is at night. During the day barn owls tend to be roosting quietly. Although one of the calls they make during the day is one of their gentle ones. Often heard when they're allopreening and reaffirming their bonds. But when a male wants to impress a female with a potential nest site he'll use a high-pitched screech to attract her attention and invite her to inspect the nest. This persistent call can go on for weeks night after night until a female is attracted to inspect the nest and females will screech when they want a male to bring them food. A similar high-pitched screech is also used in response to a threat when a tawny owl locks talons with a pair of barn owls. The fight is relatively quiet. Once the tawny owl has been chased away the female barn owl lets out a loud screech as a warning. And when the fights get more intense so do the calls. Barn owls also clack the beaks to a potential threat. Listen closely this one's reacting to an unknown barn owl. They make themselves bigger with their posturing and head swaying and the clacking of the beak is an extra warning. And a sibling screech inside calling for food. Our next call is the sound of barn owl chicks begging for food. These calls vary depending on their age. See if you can hear the difference. And sometimes they don't make any noise at all. Like in this viral clip of mine where a barn owl chick hears thunder for the very first time. Clearly scared back against the nest wall. So that's covered the barn owl's calls. From the harsh screeches to the courtship chitters and even beak clacking. So hopefully next time you hear a barn owl you'll be able to understand what they're saying. Thank you for watching and I hope you enjoyed the video. Don't forget to like, comment and subscribe to see more. Here's a taste of what you'll enjoy seeing on this channel.