What it likes

Open landscapes with rough edges. Barns, sheds, and old trees with cavities. Peace, darkness, and space to hunt low over the ground. You can help by installing a nest box in a quiet barn (clear flight access, no bright lights). Leave a messy corner with wood, stones, and tall grass: a mouse hotel. In gardens and parks: create rough strips along paths, mow late, and not all at once.

Ecological importance

A top predator of field mice, wood mice, and voles. One family takes thousands per year, reducing problems on farms and fields. Barn owls are themselves prey for species such as eagle owls and goshawks; chicks are especially vulnerable.

When in the Netherlands

Year-round. Often breeds early, sometimes as early as February. In mouse-rich years, a second brood is common.

Status

Breeding bird. Locally vulnerable: fewer prey due to intensively mown grasslands, fewer nesting sites, and dangerous roads. With good nest boxes and rough field margins, conditions can improve quickly.