Do landscape features predict the presence of barn owls in a changing agricultural landscape?

► We investigated how changes to the agricultural landscape influences nest site use by barn owls. ► Thirty percent of nest sites used in the early 1990s were lost by 2007. ► Loss of grassland habitat did not predict the continued use of remaining nest sites. ► Barn owls were less likely to persist at sites with increased highway traffic exposure. ► The length of highway within a 1-km radius of available nest sites influences whether they are occupied by barn owls.