4. Food Habits Owls depend on small mammals or rodents for food. They eat mice, voles, muskrats, hares, and rabbits. Barn owls hunt after sunset and rely on their hearing to catch their prey. Sometimes they will also eat small birds. Because of the barn owl’s size and strength, they have few predators. Occasionally, great horned owls, golden eagles, red kites, eagle owls, or hawks will prey upon the owls. Snakes and weasels will take the owl’s eggs.