Barn Owl

barn owl

Common barn owl (Tyto alba).

(credit: Karl Maslowski/Photo Researchers)

Any of several species of nocturnal birds of prey (genus Tyto), sometimes called monkey-faced owls because of their heart-shaped facial disk and absence of ear tufts. Barn owls are about 12–16 in. (30–40 cm) long, white to gray or yellowish to brownish orange. Their dark eyes are smaller than those of other owls. They hunt mainly small rodents, often on cultivated land, and nest in hollow trees, buildings, towers, and old hawk nests. The common barn owl is found worldwide except in Antarctica and Micronesia. Other species occur only in the Old World.

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barn owl

any owl of the genus Tyto, esp T. alba, having a pale brown and white plumage, long slender legs, and a heart-shaped face: family Tytonidae

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Barn Owl 

(Tyto alba), a bird of the order Strigiformes. The barn owl is 33–35 cm long and weighs about 350 g. The body is rusty gray with black and white spots above and whitish or rust-colored below, sometimes with dark flecks. The barn owl is distributed in Western Europe, South Asia, Australia, North and South America, and the western parts of the USSR—from Latvia to Moldavia. A settled bird, it inhabits the garrets of abandoned buildings and, less commonly, tree hollows. A clutch usually contains four to six eggs; occasionally as many as ten or 11 eggs are laid. The eggs are incubated by the female for 32 to 34 days. The barn owl feeds on shrews, rodents, large insects, and—less commonly—birds and bats. It is valuable as a predator of rodents.