Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Thursday, February 16, 2017
(UNDATED) - The barn owls on this webcam have been living in a DNR-built nest box inside a barn in southern Indiana since 2009 and have nested each year since.
Barn owls are an endangered species in Indiana, mostly due to habitat loss. The Indiana DNR continues to work with the public to place nest boxes where suitable habitat is available. The DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife's Wildlife Diversity Program has placed more than 300 barn owl nest boxes since 1984.
Barn owls typically lay their eggs in March or April, with chicks hatching in April or May. A show of companionship and survival will play out live before the public in the newly positioned DNR barn owl nest cam.
The barn owl webcam can accommodate 20 viewers at a time and is at wildlife.IN.gov/8183.htm.
Barn owls were once common in the Midwest, living in hollow trees and wooden barns while hunting hayfields, idle grain fields, pastures and other grasslands for meadow voles. But many wooden barns are being torn down, and few modern farms offer the land a barn owl needs for hunting.
The goal of the webcam is to promote public interest in birds and raise awareness about efforts to support barn owls.
The video is best viewed with the Firefox, Chrome or Safari web browsers. The camera is a live feed of barn owls, natural events may be disturbing to some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.
Additionally, some owlets may not survive due to weather extremes or limited food availability. DNR will not intervene with routine natural events. Banding of barn owlets will take place when it is determined that owlets are healthy to keep track of barn owl movements a nd mortality.
To build your own nest box visit wildlife.IN.gov/3382.htm.
The barn owl is one of more than 750 animal species, including many rare and endangered animals, supported by the DNR's Wildlife Diversity Program. WDP depends on donations to the DNR Nongame Fund. You can donate at EndangeredWildlife.IN.gov.
Donations can also be done on your Indiana state taxes through Schedule 5/Schedule IN-Donate, using the code "200."
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