The Life Cycle of an Owl

I read this book. This is what I learned.


The Life Cycle of an Owl
by Jill Bailey

The male barn owl lives on its own in an old barn or an old house. It has its own territory to hunt and warns other owls to keep away when they hunt. If other owls get too close he chases them away.

In spring the male looks for a female to mate. He calls out to the female. The female calls back to him in a different way. The male gives the female a dead rat for a present. He sits beside her and fluffs up his feathers. The female cuddles close to him.

The females lays the eggs in a barn or church tower. She lays one egg every two or three days until she has up to eleven. She incubates them and while she incubates them the male brings her food.

The baby eats off the yellow yoke inside the egg.

When the eggs hatch the male and female get the babies food. The oldest and biggest baby gets fed first. They have no feathers when they hatch. The first feathers are called down and they keep the baby warm.

When they are old enough they start practicing flapping their wings. Then they take the first flight away from the house. The mom and dad still feed them.

When they are fully grown the parents chase them away from the home to find their own house. It is very dangerous at this stage because the owl has many predators like foxes and cats. There are other dangers like poison from them eating rats that have been poisoned.