Dead rat outside house ?

Unless your Barn Owls are somewhat larger than ours I wouldn't expect a Barn Owl to be able to take anything larger than what we term "pocket buns" ie a baby rabbit on it's first venture outside the burrow. Even then I think a Barn Owl would struggle.

Biggest bird of prey we have around here is the Buzzard, they will take adult rabbits, wing span 4 to 5'. The UK has a few places with Golden Eagles, they will take small lambs, wing span 6'+. Bald Eagles are bit larger maybe 7'+ wing span.

Something is, a Barn Owl is

They do. The are really mice killers.

We have buzzards in UK as well - similar size..maybe smaller. I think ours live on pigeons mainly. Least-ways I've seen many dismembered pigeon carcases littering the place.

But a peregrine can take a pigeon and we have those too, as well as red kites..

I am in the UK and that is reference to our Buzzard. B-) We aren't that far from where there are supposed to be Golden Eagles but I've never seen one.

No pigeons around here.

Think I'd put money on the dead pigeons being down to the Peregrine's rather than the Buzzards.

Red Kites are bigger than Buzzards but are not a hunter, the are savengers.

Depends *entirely* on where you are. Here in mid Gloucestershire nearest Peregrines I know of are 25 miles away on the Bristol tower blocks and maybe cliffs at Symonds Yat. Plenty of buzzards in the woods, though. They take both rabbits and pigeons.

Aren't Peregrines pigeon specialists?

Incidentally the picture at the start of this looked like an eagle owl to me. And the US Horned Owl has a wingspan up to 5ft...

Andy