Current UK Barn Owl population
How many Barn Owls are there in the UK?
Nobody knows for sure. There’s only ever been one reliable UK Barn Owl population estimate carried out from 1995 to 1997 – almost 4,000 pairs (+/- 30%) (Toms et al. 2000). In the absence of a more recent national survey, the annual State of the UK Barn Owl Population reports presented below provide the most up to date overview.
- Past UK Barn Owl Population: UK Barn Owl numbers prior to 2013
- Barn Owl Surveys
- Free County Survey Reports and other research projects
2023 Barn Owl numbers
On the whole, the figures from our State of the UK Barn Owl Population 2023 report show that it was another good year for breeding Barn Owls across the UK, although not quite as good as 2022. A total of 1,559 active Barn Owl nest sites were reported by independent groups and individuals from around the UK, which corresponds to a 22% increase in nesting occupancy from the average. Unfortunately, this increase was not supported by a significant increase in mean brood size, which instead remained very close to average.
The higher number of birds nesting was likely because of the dry, non-harsh winter we had in 2022/2023. However, this winter period was then followed by very variable weather across the breeding period, which likely contributed to the unexceptional brood sizes observed and the large regional differences seen in Barn Owl breeding success across the UK.
Data was kindly provided by the following groups - click to open:Barn Owl Conservation Oxfordshire
Barn Owl Trust
Bisham Barn Owl Group
Brandon Ringing Group
Broxton Barn Owl Group
Bucks Owl & Raptor Group
Cam Valley Wildlife Group
Derbyshire Ornithological Society
East Cheshire Barn Owl Group
East Cleveland Nest Box Network Project
East Riding Barn Owl Conservation Group
Garry Steele
Gil Gaylor
Glamorgan Barn Owl Group
Gloucestershire Raptor Monitoring Group
Greater Gwent Barn Owl Initiative
Goldcliff Ringing Group
Jersey Barn Owl Conservation
Manchester Raptor Group
Middle Thames Ringing Group
Mid Cheshire Barn Owl Group
Neath Port Talbot Barn Owl Group
North Cheshire Barn Owl Group
North-East Cheshire Barn Owl Group
Oxfordshire Ornithological Society
Philip Hanmer – Nat. Hist. Soc. of Northumbria Hancock Mus. R.G.
Powys – Species Habitat Protection Group
Scottish Raptor Study Group
Shropshire Barn Owl Group
South Cheshire Barn Owl Group
South Cleaveland Ringing Group
South Wirral Barn Owl Group
Staffordshire Barn Owl Action Group
Stour Valley Barn Owl Group
Suffolk Bird Group
Sussex Ornithological Society
Southam & District Owl Conservation Project
The Salisbury Plain Raptor and Owl Ringing Group
Ulster Wildlife
Vale of Belvoir Barn Owl Conservation Group
West Berkshire Countryside Society Barn Owl Group
West Cornwall Ringing Group
Wirral Barn Owl Trust
2022 Barn Owl numbers
The figures in our State of The UK Barn Owl Population 2022 report are based on contributions from dedicated groups and individuals from around the UK, who all monitor a certain number of potential Barn Owl nest sites. Between them, an impressive 5,404 potential nest sites were checked over the 2022 breeding period, with 1,807 of these holding active Barn Owl nests.
Overall, 2022 was a good year for Barn Owls, with a substantial increase in the number of active Barn Owl nest sites reported. With an excellent increase in the numbers of Barn Owls nesting, it is a shame this peak was not followed up with above-average brood sizes to help boost the population. In terms of regional variation, nesting occupancy was generally good across the board, with the exception of some areas in the Southeast, while brood size was a little more mixed throughout the regions.
Data was kindly provided by the following groups - click to open:Barn Owl Trust
Barn Owl Conservation Oxfordshire
Bisham Barn Owl Group
Brandon Ringing Group
Broxton Barn Owl Group
Bucks Owl & Raptor Group
Cam Valley Wildlife Group
Derbyshire Ornithological Society
East Cheshire Barn Owl Group
East Cleveland Nest Box Network Project
East Riding Barn Owl Conservation Group
Garry Steele
Gil Gaylor
Glamorgan Barn Owl Group
Gloucestershire Raptor Monitoring Group
Goldcliff Ringing Group
Jersey Barn Owl Conservation
Lough Neagh Barn Owl Group
Manchester Raptor Group
Middle Thames Ringing Group
Mid Cheshire Barn Owl Group
North Cheshire Barn Owl Group
North-East Cheshire Barn Owl Group
North West Norfolk Ringing Group
Oxfordshire Ornithological Society
Philip Hanmer – Nat. Hist. Soc. of Northumbria Hancock Mus. R.G.
Powys – Species Habitat Protection Group
Rebekah Beaumont – Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
Scottish Raptor Study Group
Shropshire Barn Owl Group
South Cheshire Barn Owl Group
South Cleaveland Ringing Group
South Wirral Barn Owl Group
Staffordshire Barn Owl Action Group
Stour Valley Barn Owl Group
Suffolk Bird Group
Sussex Ornithological Society
Southam & District Owl Conservation Project
The Salisbury Plain Raptor and Owl Ringing Group
Ulster Wildlife
Vale of Belvoir Barn Owl Conservation Group
West Berkshire Countryside Society Barn Owl Group
West Cornwall Ringing Group
Wirral Barn Owl Trust
2021 Barn Owl numbers
Renewed activity following the pandemic-related setbacks of 2020 has led to comprehensive monitoring of Barn Owls across the UK, and it is with immense gratitude to all those involved that we present the State of the UK Barn Owl Population 2021.
After the peaks and troughs seen over the last five years, we were due a much-needed peak. While nesting occupancy was above average, unfortunately the increase wasn’t as high as previous peaks. Despite this fairly good start to the breeding season, brood size was below the average of all previous years and only showed a slight improvement upon the really poor year of 2020. In terms of regional variation, nesting occupancy was quite good across a large area of mid-England and mid-Wales. However, both nesting occupancy and mean brood size were much more mixed in the southwest, poor in the southeast, and very poor in the north and northeast.
Data was kindly provided by the following groups - click to open:Barn Owl Trust
Brandon Ringing Group
Broxton Barn Owl Group
Bucks Owl & Raptor Group
Cam Valley Wildlife Group
Derbyshire Ornithological Society
East Cheshire Barn Owl Group
East Cleveland Nest Box Network Project
East Riding Barn Owl Conservation Group
Garry Steele
Glamorgan Barn Owl Group
Gloucestershire Raptor Monitoring Group
Lewis Raptor & Owl Group
Manchester Raptor Group
Middle Thames Ringing Group
Mid Cheshire Barn Owl Group
North Cheshire Barn Owl Group
North-east Cheshire Barn Owl Group
North Dorset – Conservation Action
North West Norfolk Ringing Group
Philip Hanmer – Nat. Hist. Soc. of Northumbria Hancock Mus. R.G.
Powys – Species Habitat Protection Group
Rebekah Beaumont – Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
Scottish Raptor Study Group
Shropshire Barn Owl Group
South Cheshire Barn Owl Group
South Wirral Barn Owl Group
Staffordshire Barn Owl Action Group
Stour Valley Wildlife Action Group
Suffolk Bird Group
Sussex Ornithological Society
Southam & District Owl Conservation Project
Ulster Wildlife
Vale of Belvoir Barn Owl Conservation Group
West Berkshire Countryside Society Barn Owl Group
West Cornwall Ringing Group
Wirral Barn Owl Trust
2020 Barn Owl numbers
Despite the lockdown disruptions, many groups were able to monitor substantial numbers of Barn Owl nests and collectively contribute to a reliable impression of the 2020 breeding period. The results, presented here in the State of the UK Barn Owl Population 2020, were poor in general, particularly in terms of mean brood size.
Although three projects from the northern region reported positive outcomes, results were mixed from the Midwest, disappointing from the eastern seaboard, and were even worse from central England, South Wales, and the southwest. It may be no coincidence that the second poorest mean brood size in the history of the State of the UK Barn Owl Population reports has occurred during a year when rainfall swung from unusually dry to very wet, and right at the time when eggs needed incubating and owlets should have been growing.
Data was kindly provided by the following groups - click to open:Barn Owl Trust
Brandon Ringing Group
Broxton Barn Owl Group
Bucks Owl & Raptor Group
Derbyshire Ornithological Society
East Cleveland Nest Box Network Project
East Riding Barn Owl Conservation Group
Garry Steele
Glamorgan Barn Owl Group
Gloucestershire Raptor Monitoring Group
Lewis Raptor & Owl Group
Manchester Raptor Group
Middle Thames Ringing Group
North Dorset – Conservation Action
North West Norfolk Ringing Group
Philip Hanmer – Nat. Hist. Soc. of Northumbria Hancock Mus. R.G.
Powys – Species Habitat Protection Group
Scottish Raptor Study Group
Shropshire Barn Owl Group
Staffordshire Barn Owl Action Group
Stour Valley Wildlife Action Group
Suffolk Community Barn Owl Project
Sussex Ornithological Society – Barrie Watson
Sussex Ornithological Society – Graham Roberts
Thornham Owl Project
Ulster Wildlife
Vale of Belvoir Barn Owl Conservation Group
West Berkshire Countryside Society Barn Owl Group
West Cornwall Ringing Group
2019 Barn Owl numbers
The figures in our State of The UK Barn Owl Population 2019 report are based on contributions from 40 independent monitoring groups, from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
Nesting occupancy was fairly high in general, and particularly so in Buckinghamshire, Gloucestershire, Shropshire, and Staffordshire. Nevertheless, relatively poor or mixed nesting occupancies were observed by groups in the west and south, respectively. After a fairly promising start to the breeding period, overall brood size was similar to previous years, but not notably higher.
Data was kindly provided by the following groups - click to open:Brandon Ringing Group
Broxton Barn Owl Group
Bucks Owl & Raptor Group
Cam Valley Wildlife Group
Derbyshire Ornithological Society
East Cheshire Barn Owl Group
East Riding Barn Owl Conservation Group
Essex Wildlife Trust
Gary Steele
Gil Gaylor
Glamorgan Barn Owl Group
Gloucestershire Raptor Monitoring Group
Hawk and Owl Trust
Jersey Barn Owl Conservation
Lewis Raptor & Owl Group
Manchester Raptor Group
Merseyside Ringing Group
Mid Cheshire Barn Owl Conservation Group
Middle Thames Ringing Group
North Cheshire Barn Owl Group
North Dorset – Conservation Action
North-east Cheshire Barn Owl Group
North West Norfolk Ringing Group
Philip Hanmer – Nat. Hist. Soc. of Northumbria Hancock Mus. R.G.
Powys Species Habitat Protection Group
Scottish Raptor Study Group
Shropshire Barn Owl Group
South Cheshire Barn Owl Group
Staffordshire Barn Owl Action Group
Stour Valley Wildlife Action Group
Suffolk Community Barn Owl Project
Sussex Ornithological Society – Barrie Watson
Sussex Ornithological Society – Graham Roberts
Thornham Owl Project
Ulster Wildlife
Vale of Belvoir Barn Owl Conservation Group
West Berkshire Countryside Society Barn Owl Group
West Cornwall Ringing Group
Wirral Barn Owl Trust
2018 Barn Owl numbers
2018 figures are in our report: State Of The UK Barn Owl Population–2018. They are based on information provided by 37 independent monitoring groups and include results from a wider area of Dumfries and Galloway than has been possible in previous years.
Overall 2018 was a poor year, with few exceptions. The only groups that recorded an unusually high number of nesting pairs were in Shropshire and Staffordshire. All other results were more or less within the range of typical variation, although on the whole they were quite discouraging in terms of both nesting pairs and brood sizes.
Data was kindly provided by the following groups - click to open:Barn Owl Trust
Brandon Ringing Group
Broxton Barn Owl Group
Bucks Owl & Raptor Group
Cam Valley Wildlife Group
Dumfries and Galloway Raptor Study Group
East Cheshire Barn Owl Group
East Riding Barn Owl Conservation Group
Essex Wildlife Trust
Gil Gaylor
Glamorgan Barn Owl Group
Gloucestershire Barn Owl Monitoring Programme
Jersey Barn Owl Conservation
Lewis Raptor & Owl Group
Manchester Raptor Group
Merseyside Ringing Group
Mid Cheshire Barn Owl Conservation Group
Middle Thames Ringing Group
North Cheshire Barn Owl Group
North-east Cheshire Barn Owl Group
North West Norfolk Ringing Group
Philip Hanmer; Natural History Society of Northumbria (Hancock Museum) Ringing Group
Powys Species Habitat Protection Group
Shropshire Barn Owl Group
South Cheshire Barn Owl Group
South Warwickshire Barn Owl Survey
Staffordshire Barn Owl Action Group
Stour Valley Wildlife Action Group
Suffolk Community Barn Owl Project
Sussex Ornithological Society – Dr. Barrie Watson
Sussex Ornithological Society – Graham Roberts
Thornham Owl Project
Ulster Wildlife
Vale of Belvoir Barn Owl Conservation Group
West Berkshire Countryside Society Barn Owl Group
West Cornwall Ringing Group
Wirral Barn Owl Trust
2017 Barn Owl numbers
2017 figures are in our report: State of the UK Barn Owl population 2017 based on results provided by 38 independent monitoring groups including new data contributors in Cheshire and Glamorgan.
Overall 2017 was a good year for Barn Owls but with some notable exceptions. Across most of England and into mid Wales Barn Owls had a generally good to very good year. However, Barn Owls had a relatively poor year in West Galloway, West Cornwall, and the Isle of Wight. Those on Jersey experienced a very poor year and in Northern Ireland Barn Owls are still very scarce.
Data was kindly provided by the following groups - click to open:Barn Owl Trust
Bisham Barn Owl Group
Brandon Ringing Group
Broxton Barn Owl Group
Bucks Owl Raptor Group
Cam Valley Wildlife Group
East Cheshire Barn Owl Group
East Riding Barn Owl Conservation Group
Essex Wildlife Trust
Garry Steele
Gil Gaylor
Glamorgan Barn Owl Group
Gloucestershire Barn Owl Monitoring Programme
Jersey Barn Owl Conservation
Lewis Raptor & Owl Group
Manchester Raptor Group
Merseryside Ringing Group
Mid Cheshire Barn Owl Conservation Group
North Cheshire Barn Owl Group
North-east Cheshire Barn Owl Group
North West Norfolk Ringing Group
Philip Hanmer; Natural History Society of Northumbria (Hancock Museum) Ringing Group
Powys Species Habitat Protection Group
Scottish Raptor Study Group
Shropshire Barn Owl Group
South Cheshire Barn Owl Group
South Warwickshire Barn Owl Survey
Staffordshire Barn Owl Action Group
Stour Valley Wildlife Action Group
Suffolk Community Barn Owl Project
Sussex Ornithological Society – Barrie Watson
Sussex Ornithological Society – Graham Roberts
Thornham Owl Project
Ulster Wildlife
West Berkshire Countryside Society Barn Owl Group
West Cornwall Ringing Group
Wirral Barn Owl Trust
Wolds Barn Owl Group
2016 Barn Owl numbers
The State of the UK Barn Owl Population 2016 report shows that, overall, 2016 was a poor year in most areas but generally better in the west of England.
The data received from 32 monitoring schemes checking 6,058 nest sites shows that the number of nesting pairs in the UK in 2016 was 6% below the all-years average and the average number of young in the nest was 7% below. Barn Owls had a poor to very poor year in South West and South England, Jersey, North Norfolk, parts of Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire, parts of Powys in Wales and West Galloway in Scotland. Conversely, Barn Owls in the west of England (from Cheshire down to Buckinghamshire), and in North Northumberland, Suffolk, and the Isle of Wight had a quite good to good year.
Data was kindly provided by the following groups - click to open:Barn Owl Trust
Bisham Barn Owl Group
Brandon Ringing Group
Bucks Owl Raptor Group
Cam Valley Wildlife Group
Cheshire Barn Owl Groups
East Riding Barn Owl Conservation Group
Essex Wildlife Trust
Garry Steele
Gil Gaylor
Gloucestershire Barn Owl Monitoring Programme
Jersey Barn Owl Conservation
Lewis Raptor & Owl Group
Manchester Raptor Group
North West Norfolk Ringing Group
Philip Hanmer
Powys Species Habitat Protection Group
Scottish Raptor Study Group
Shropshire Barn Owl Group
South Warwickshire Barn Owl Survey
Staffordshire Barn Owl Action Group
Stour Valley Wildlife Action Group
Suffolk Community Barn Owl Project
Sussex Ornithological Society – Barrie Watson
Sussex Ornithological Society – Graham Roberts
Thornham Owl Project
Ulster Wildlife
Vale of Bevoir Barn Owl Conservation
West Berkshire Countryside Society Barn Owl Group
West Cornwall Ringing Group
Wolds Barn Owl Group
World Owl Trust
2015 Barn Owl numbers
The State Of The UK Barn Owl Population 2015 report, for the first time, includes information from Northern Ireland. Overall, 2015 was a poor year for Barn Owls almost everywhere.
The checking of 5,963 potential nest sites by 32 independent groups across the UK revealed that the number of nesting pairs was 26% below average and the average number of young in nests was 18% below average. However, the number of nests was slightly to moderately above average in Manchester, Cheshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, and Suffolk. The only areas where mean brood size was above normal were West Cornwall and Somerset. The generally poor results were attributed largely to a lack of food rather than the weather.
Data was kindly provided by the following groups - click to open:Barn Owl Trust
Bisham Barn Owl Group
Brandon Ringing Group
Bucks Owl Raptor Group
Cam Valley Wildlife Group
Cheshire Barn Owl Groups
East Riding Barn Owl Conservation Group
Garry Steele
Gil Gaylor
Gwyn Roberts
Hawk and Owl Trust
Jersey Barn Owl Conservation Network
Lewis Raptor & Owl Group
Lower Derwent Valley NNR Barn Owl Group
Manchester Raptor Group
North Cumbria Barn Owl Study Group
North West Norfolk Ringing Group
Pang Valley Barn Owl Group
Powys Species Habitat Protection Group
Scottish Raptor Study Group
Shropshire Barn Owl Group
South Warwickshire Barn Owl Survey
Staffordshire Barn Owl Action Group
Stour Valley Wildlife Action Group
Suffolk Community Barn Owl Project
Sussex Ornithological Society – Barrie Watson
Sussex Ornithological Society – Graham Roberts
Ulster Wildlife
Vale Barn Owl Conservation
West Cornwall Ringing Group
Wolds Barn Owl Group
World Owl Trust
2014 Barn Owl numbers
2014 was an exceptionally good year for Barn Owls almost everywhere in the UK. The checking of 6,558 potential nest sites by 25 independent groups across the UK revealed that the number of nesting pairs was 16% above average and average number of young in nests was 35% higher than the all-years average. See State of the UK Barn Owl population 2014.
Data was kindly provided by the following groups - click to open:Barn Owl Trust
Bowden and Ball Ringing Group
Brandon Ringing Group
Cam Valley Wildlife Group
East Riding Barn Owl Conservation Group
Cheshire Barn Owl Conservation Groups
Hawk and Owl Trust
Gil Gaylor (Isle of Wight)
Imber Conservation Group
Manchester Raptor Group
Montgomeryshire Barn Owl Group
NW Norfolk Ringing Group
Pang Valley Barn Owl Group
Powys Species Habitat Protection Group
Scottish Raptor Study Group
Shropshire Barn Owl Group
Staffordshire Barn Owl Action Group
Stour Valley Wildlife Action Group
South Warwickshire Barn Owl Survey
Suffolk Community Barn Owl Project
Sussex Ornithological Society – Barrie Watson
Sussex Ornithological Society – Graham Roberts
Vale of Belvoir Barn Owl Conservation
West Cornwall Ringing Group
Wolds Barn Owl Group
2013 Barn Owl numbers
2013 was an extremely poor year for Barn Owls – described as ‘the worst year since records began‘. This prompted the Barn Owl Trust to collate results from 26 independent Barn Owl monitoring groups around the UK and produce State of the UK Barn Owl Population 2013.
All groups reported a drop in the number of breeding pairs. The drop in numbers varied from a 24% decline to 100%. The overall drop in nesting occupancy was 70%.
Data was kindly provided by the following groups - click to open:Alan Ball, Bob Sheppard, G Steele (south Lincs.)
Barn Owl Trust
Barrie Watson (West Sussex)
Buckinghamshire Owl Raptor Group
Cam Valley Wildlife Group
Cheshire Barn Owl Groups
Hawk and Owl Trust – Chris Sperring
East Riding Barn Owl Conservation Group
Imber Conservation Group
James Gloyn & Gil Gaylor (Isle of Wight)
Jersey Barn Owl Conservation Network
Lower Derwent Valley NNR Barn Owl Group
Manchester Raptor Group
Montgomeryshire Barn Owl Group
North Cumbria Barn Owl Study Group
Northamptonshire Barn Owl Project
NW Norfolk Ringing Group
Pang Valley Barn Owl Group
Scottish Raptor Study Group
Shropshire Barn Owl Group
Staffordshire Barn Owl Action Group
Stour Valley Wildlife Action Group/South Warwickshire Barn Owl Survey
Suffolk Community Barn Owl Project
Suffolk Owl Sanctuary – Thornham Owl Project
Vale of Belvoir Barn Owl Conservation Group (VBOC)
West Cornwall Ringing Group
Wolds Barn Owl Group
*Please note that the ‘State of the UK Barn Owl Population‘ is a Living Document which may be updated as more information becomes available.