Barney (a.k.a. Moonface) was acquired April 3, 1998 .  Barney (a.k.a. Moonface) & Silo were both captive born at a raptor breeding facility in Simcoe, Ontario and were hand-raised since shortly after hatching.  Barney is eagerly visited by thousands of children because of his famous t.v. role in a children’s television series called ‘Zoboomafoo’.  This little fellow plays a delivery owl called Moonface. Both, Barney & Silo have travelled across the province teaching school children about the plight of the barn owl in Ontario.

Barn Owl (Tyto alba)

Dining and Dwelling

This nocturnal bird is able to hunt effectively in complete darkness and will eat any small mammals such as mice, voles and shrews.  They will also eat rats, bats, frogs, small birds, and even large insects.  They are mostly found in mixed forests and agricultural areas, especially in or around barns, where they frequently nest.

Life and Death

The great horned owl is one of the main predators of the barn owl.  Canadian barn owls can not endure our harsh winters and as a result have relatively short life spans.   They breed in their first year, and can have a clutch of up to 10 chicks.  Babies mature quickly and are fully fledged at 8 weeks.

That's Amazing

• They are an endangered species, with few breeding pairs left in Ontario.
• It is believed that many of the ghost stories in Europe originated from the ghost like appearance, eerie screech, and silent flight of the barn owl.