Barn owl survival depends critically on small mammal prey availability, making farming practices and habitat management directly relevant to their welfare.
Barn owl winter survival depends entirely on accessing adequate small mammal prey in sufficient density to sustain their high metabolic rate. In years of low vole abundance, barn owls starve before spring. Habitat management that maintains rough grassland with high vole density directly improves individual barn owl welfare by providing reliable winter food. Second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides consumed by poisoned voles then passed to barn owls through secondary poisoning represent a major additional welfare threat that occurs regardless of habitat quality.