Galápagos Barn Owl: Facts and Where to See It

Galápagos has two resident owls, both found only here: the barn owl and the short-eared owl. Unlike the short-eared owl, which also hunts by day, the barn owl is completely nocturnal. Like many Galápagos animals it is smaller and darker than its mainland relatives.

• Face. A white to buff heart-shaped face; males and females look alike.
• Plumage. Rusty brown back, pale cinnamon underparts with light and dark speckles.
• Flight. Silent, with moth-like wingbeats broken by long glides.

Barn owls live on Fernandina, Isabela, Santiago, Santa Cruz and San Cristóbal. They are seen most often in the dry, sparsely vegetated lowlands, though they also live in the highlands. They nest all year in the arid and transitional zones, and in the highlands from November to May, using small holes such as lava tubes, volcanic cones and tree cavities, and sometimes buildings. The young fly after 10 to 12 weeks.

Guide sighting records list the barn owl at 1 site: the Santa Cruz Highlands on Santa Cruz, rated Rare and noted as nocturnal and rarely seen. Because cruise visits take place by day, a sighting is a matter of luck, most likely at dusk or very early in the morning.

Barn owls are present all year, but they are seen at night or occasionally very early in the morning. In the next twelve months, 453 departures stop at the site where they are recorded.

It is listed as Least Concern. On the inhabited islands, barn owls were hunted, mainly for taking chickens and partly out of superstition, and a study in 2016 found barn owls and short-eared owls among frequent road victims. How much these losses matter is not yet known. The barn owl is one of 12 species due to be returned to Floreana under the Restoring Floreana project.

1. Expecting to see one. It is strictly nocturnal; the guide records rate it Rare.
2. Confusing it with the short-eared owl. The short-eared owl hunts by day and has ear tufts; the barn owl has a pale heart-shaped face.
3. Getting close to a roosting owl. Park rules ask for at least 2 metres from all wildlife.