Do Barn Owls Nest in the ACT?

Barn Owls (Tyto javanica) frequently show up in the ACT, sometimes the RSPCA has 10 or more individuals in care, apparently starving or injured from magpie and currawong attacks. In Australia their breeding is poorly known (Higgins 1999). Researchers claim they can breed at any time of the year if prey is abundant, in some cases twice in a year. Most are said to use a tree hollow, or sometimes caves or empty mine shafts. Often they nest on a pile of old castings, feathers or faecal material. Though we see quite a few Barn Owls in the ACT, we have never found a nest, and we urge COG members to look for nests as a verified breeding record would be a first for the ACT