“Onomatopoeic” means a word that sounds like the thing it describes, for instance in English we might call a Tawny Owl’s call a “hoot” and a Barn Owl’s call a “screech”.
The Barn Owl has lived in farms and villages for hundreds, probably thousands of years and has been known by a huge variety of names over the centuries.
Some Barn Owls live in old church towers and occasionally when people see one flying, white and silent, over a graveyard, they think of ghosts and death – or – an angel or cherubim. What would you think if you saw one?
Jumbled Name Puzzle!
Unscramble the letters to find some old English names for a Barn Owl:
– see the list of Old English names below for clues – and the bottom of the page for the answers.
- AOTYBLAT : Scientific Latin name for a Ghost Owl: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
- OCWLECSRHE : This owl doesn’t hoot! _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
- HURIBCME : Church Owls are little angels! _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
- YLFMKOEEOCWNAD : An owl with a cheeky face! _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
- YOGMG : It catches mice but it’s not a cat! _ _ _ _ _
Old English names for Barn Owls:
Can you guess why people called the Barn Owl these names?
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Answers to the Jumbled Name Puzzle: Click to open
* Printable puzzle pages available free for personal and educational use only.
To Print: Click the green Print button above the picture.