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Barn Owl Road Casualties
"Barn Owls and Major Roads", a report published recently by the Barn Owl Trust (www.barnowltrust.org.uk) has highlighted the impact of major roads on Barn Owl populations, suggesting that numbers have been seriously depleted over some 40% of rural England. The Trust's findings indicate that the entire British Barn Owl population is to some extent suppressed by the presence of major roads. Significantly, the report goes on to show that juvenile birds which die by the roadside are not necessarily those individuals which would have in any case died in their first year, but rather represent those which would have survived. Another troubling statistic indicates that on minor roads Barn Owls are 57 times more likely to be seen alive than found dead, whilst on major roads they are 3 times more likely to be found dead than seen alive. With the Barn Owl population currently estimated at no more than 4,000 pairs, it is likely that future road-building will slowly but surely continue to reduce suitable, available habitat for this beautiiful bird.
24th December 2003
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Barn Owl
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