The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources wants the public’s help identifying barn owl nesting sites.

There has been a massive decline of the barn owl population in Kentucky since about the 1960s, a scenario also occurring in nearby states, according to Kate Slankard, a wildlife biologist with the department.

For 10 years, KDFW has monitored the barn owl population in Kentucky, with a count of the species’ nests and roosts being performed every three years, Slankard said.

In 2016, the last year the count was conducted, there were 76 nests and 15 roosts that KDFW knew about in the state, she said.

For each count, KDFW depends in part on participation from the public to find barn owl nests and roosts, particularly in areas such as Warren County, which Slankard described as a hot spot of barn owl activity.

“They do best in western Kentucky because the species likes open areas and eastern Kentucky is mostly forested,” she said.

Barn owls can be recognized by their distinctive heart-shaped faces and their “whitish to pale cinnamon bodies,” according to a news release from KDFW.

Furthermore, barn owls don’t hoot, according to the release. Instead, they hiss and screech, especially when approached.

Barn owls do not have ear tufts, are about 14 to 20 inches tall and frequently nest in hollow trees and manmade structures such as barns and silos. They lay their eggs directly on the nesting site rather than building a nest out of sticks, the release said.

The release asks that anyone with information about a barn owl nest or dead barn owl should contact Slankard at 1-800-858-1549 or kate.slankard@ky.gov.

Because barn owl nests and roosts are frequently on private property, the locations will be kept confidential, Slankard said.

Slankard said the decline in the barn owl population in recent decades is partly because of the effect of agricultural practices on their habitats. “We think the decline was in part due to farm equipment coming out that allowed people to farm more cleanly,” she said.

More efficient farming has cut down on the loose brush that mice and other small animals barn owls prey on use as shelter, Slankard said.

“They like places with a lot of small farms, they like farms that are rough around the edges, and they like granaries,” she said.

With the department’s efforts to keep track of the barn owl population, it hopes to gain a better understanding of why they’ve come to be rare in the state, Slankard said.

Despite the decrease over the last few decades, KDFW officials believe the species’ population is on the uptick because the number of reported sitings has grown with each count, she said.

“We feel fairly confident that we’re seeing them increase,” she said.

– Follow Daily News reporter Jackson French on Twitter @Jackson_French or visit bgdailynews.com.