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Captive barn owls

Barn owl leaving nest site

Despite their decline in the wild, barn owls breed very easily in captivity. There is a large population of legitimate captive birds.

In recognition of this, the law does not require captive barn owls to be registered. However, the law does insist that, to qualify for sale, barn owls must be captive bred and wear a close ring. This is a continuous metal ring of a size that can be slipped on to the leg of a nestling but not onto an adult. This procedure is intended to prevent wild adults being caught and sold.

The letters 'ABCR' which often appear in barn owl advertisements stand for 'Aviary Bred Close Ringed'. However, advertisements without these letters may still refer to birds that can be legally sold.

It is illegal to sell or attempt to sell any barn owl that is not both captive bred and close ringed.  The legal definition of 'captive bred' includes the proviso that the bird’s parents must themselves be captive bred.

As a result of 1997 legislation the sale of a barn owl, or commercial use of such a bird, also requires an 'Article 10' certificate to accompany the bird. Application forms for these can be obtained from the Department of Environment, Transport & the Regions (DETR), Wildlife Division, Tollgate House, Moulton Street, Bristol, BS2 9OJ.

As with other species, a proportion of the barn owls in captivity probably are taken illegally from the wild. While it is usually assumed that barn owls are held legally unless there is evidence to the contrary, it must be remembered that any person with a barn owl in their possession, whether for sale or not, close ringed or otherwise, could be called upon to prove that their possession is legal in a court of law.

Captive rear and release schemes

To help with the conservation of barn owls, some schemes have been set up to rear and release captive barn owls.

Many early schemes were unsuccessful and resulted in the death of most of the released birds. As a result, since January 1993 the release of barn owls into the wild has been illegal unless carried out under licence. 

Licence application forms may be obtainable from the DETR at Bristol. Applicants are required to comply with detailed guidelines. These procedures should help evaluate the effectiveness of captive rear and release schemes as a conservation measure.

Last modified: 06 November 2009

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