Barn owls are iconic farmland birds that face a combination of habitat loss, rodenticide poisoning, and winter starvation that creates severe welfare challenges across their range.
Barn owl welfare is acutely sensitive to winter conditions and food availability. During severe winters, owls may lose sufficient body mass to become too weak to hunt effectively within 3-4 days - a rapid and distressing welfare deterioration. Chronic exposure to rodenticides impairs liver function, coagulation, and neurological health in ways that may reduce hunting ability and resilience. Landscape management that maintains rough grassland field margins, reduces rodenticide use, and provides nest boxes addresses multiple welfare threats simultaneously. Wildlife rehabilitation during winter emergencies provides welfare safety nets for individual birds.