The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Bob Sheppard and I have checked some boxes early this year to provide some guidance for the national BOMP (Barn Owl Monitoring Programme) workers, as to best times to plan their visits. This meant that at many sites both male and female Barn Owls were present. We were surprised to find that on checking two boxes a mile apart on different dates, that the same male was present with different females in each box. One box contained a full clutch of eggs near hatching and the other contained a part clutch. As it is only the male that brings food for the sitting female whilst on eggs and young chicks, clearly this male is going to be busy – though it would appear that he has already been a busy boy!

Polygamy amongst British Barn Owls is virtually unknown, there being a case in Scotland (where Barn Owl distribution is very patchy) where a male had two females at opposite end of the same barn. Another site in southern England may have involved captive-bred birds and were also being supplementary fed.

We will observe this bird over a few evenings and see exactly what he does.

Note that it is unlawful to ‘disturb’ breeding Barn Owls without a special licence from English Nature. All BOMP workers are licensed and are experienced in checking sites without causing undue disturbance.

Alan

I have access to a couple of papers documenting polygyny in Tyto that might be of interest should you want to write this up -

Marti, C.D. 1992. Same-nest polygyny in the BarnOwl. Condor, 94: 261-263.

&

Martinez, J.A. & Lopez, G. 1999. Breeding ecology of the barn
owl (Tyto alba) in Valencia (SE Spain). J. Ornithol. 140: 93-99.

Alex

_________________
Dr Alexander C. Lees
Lecturer in tropical ecology
Manchester Metropolitan University

Lab Associate
Cornell Lab of Ornithology,
Cornell University

http://www.freewebs.com/alexlees/index.htm
@Alexander_Lees

Thanks Alex, we are aware of instances overseas, especially with birds together at sites - indeed there is an American case in a Maryland box fitted with CCTV. Clearly with a mile between our two Lincolnshire sites, this male is going to have his work cut out!

Alan