CECILE
Species: Tyto alba, Barn Owl • Hatched: 2025 • Gender: Unknown • Disability: Human Imprint
For several years, AEF has helped local Barn Owl populations by releasing healthy young owls into the wild. With the population now thriving, wildlife officials asked us to pause breeding, to ensure we don’t exceed the natural carrying capacity of the habitat here in the Smokies. This past March, the last three Barn owlets hatched beneath the watchful care of AEF staff, beginning a new mission: to cultivate a connection to conservation as educational ambassadors!
ABOUT THIS SPECIES
The Barn Owl has several different names, such as the heart-faced owl, the monkey-faced owl, and the ghost owl. They are nocturnal, meaning that they are very active at night. Their name comes from the fact that they like to live in barns and other man-made structures. Barn Owls have excellent hearing and vision, and, because of their especially soft feathers, they have the ability of ‘silent flight.’ There are over 225 owl species in the world, divided into two families: Barn owls with their distinct heart-shaped facial disks make up the Tytonidae family, while all other owl species are in the Strigidae or typical owl family.
HEAR THE SOUND OF A BARN OWL