Barn owls are charismatic British birds that face population pressure from habitat loss, rodenticide poisoning and traffic mortality, all causing welfare harm alongside population decline.
Barn owls that starve during hard winters suffer prolonged hunger and weakness before death — this is a chronic welfare concern that climate change is likely to exacerbate. Rodenticide poisoning causes sublethal effects including impaired hunting ability before death, extending suffering. Road strikes cause acute traumatic injury. Nest box provision, rodenticide alternatives and verge management to maintain rough grassland prey habitat are the key welfare interventions.