During the chase, both the male and the female screech. Copulation occurs every few minutes during the nest site search. Both sexes crouch down in front of each other to solicit copulation. The male mounts the female, grasps her neck, and balances with spread wings. Copulation continues with decreasing frequency throughout incubation and chick rearing.
Couples often use an old nest that have been occupied for decades rather than buiding a new one.
The female lays four to seven solid white eggs in a dark space surrounded by pellets. She then incubates them until early May. When the species is not breeding, it is solitary or in pairs. It typically roosts in tree cavities, cliff crevices, or in riverbanks, but it can also be found roosting in many human structures such as barns, nest boxes, and churches. Barn owls are such efficient hunters that it is suspected that they spend much time loafing.