Wise as Socrates

Pastels on Pastelmat Card ($POA)

Image Size 30 cm h x 45cm w

The Barn Owl (Tyto alba) is one of Australia’s most widespread and recognisable nocturnal birds. Graceful, ghostly white and silent in flight it is a remarkable predator that has adapted to living alongside people. They roost quietly by day in unseen places like tree hollows, thickly foliaged trees, caves and rock crevices, buildings and even wells, relying on hollow-bearing trees, often hundreds of years old, for breeding.
Sadly, they fall victim to land clearing, secondary poisoning (rat poison) and car strikes.
Their heart-shaped facial disc, fixed dark expressive eyes and mottled wing feathers make for a beautiful study of these gorgeous birds.