Sova pálená-ekologie, ohrožení a návrh podpory druhu.

The Barn Owl (Tyto alba) belongs to iconic species of the Czech countryside. During the 20th century the species declined dramatically and disappeared from many regions, especially at medium altitudes. Today it is listed in the National Red List of Threatened Species as critically endangered. The decline is caused by many factors. Intensification of agriculture and loss of safe breeding sites are the most crucial. In Central Europe, the Barn Owl feeds mainly on the Common Vole (Microtus arvalis) and the prey population cycle affects reproductive success of the owls. The Barn Owl helps in agricultural pest management. It requires diverse farmland habitats with lots of tree lines, hedgerows, old orchards and ditches. Such fine-scale landscape patchwork has a stable water regime, supports species diversity and also attracts people for free time activities. The charismatic Barn Owl with its role in crop protection, dependency on farms for breeding and preferences for diverse agricultural habitats is an ideal umbrella species for countryside wildlife conservation. In spite of all these facts, there is no official national or local action plan for the Barn Owl conservation in the Czech Republic. This paper summarises the most important knowledge about the Barn Owl which is relevant for systematic conservation effort and proposes the rules for such activities at the national or local scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]