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13

Eastern Barn Owl (Tyto delicatula) Alternate name(s): "Barn Owl", "Delicate Barn Owl", "Screeching Owl", "Lesser Masked Owl", "White Owl", "Australian Barn Owl" Aboriginal name(s): "birrgala" [ngadjon]; "pokang" [tjapwurrung]; "yondja", "minar" (WA) Size: 30-40 cm; wing span 70-90 cm (female larger than male) Weight: 250-420 g (male), 260-470 g (female)

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Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Eastern Barn Owls are small to medium-sized owls. They have a conspicuous, heart-shaped white facial mask. The front is white with sparse greyish specks, the back is greyish-rufous with white specks. The eyes are black and the bill is light-grey. The legs are mostly covered with feathers, while the feet are grey. Female Eastern Barn Owls have a slightly lighter back than males and more speckles on the front. Twitcher's tip They are distinguished from Eastern Grass Owls by their much lighter colours, both front and back. In-flight the most conspicuous distinguishing criterion is the length of the legs, which in Eastern Barn Owls trail end near the tip of the tail.

Taxonomy, classification See Eastern Barn Owl at Wikipedia . Click here for classification information Note that the classification of various races of Barn Owls is complex and currently still under discussion. Many sources still list the Eastern Barn Owl as race "delicatula" of the Barn Owl (Tyto alba), while others are proposing to split the Australian population off other races of the Eastern Barn Owl as a separate species.

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Eastern Barn Owl is available HERE . Apart from Australia, Eastern Barn Owls are also present in Timor Leste, parts of eastern Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Barn Owls are a global genus of birds that are found on various continents. Tyto delicatula, the Eastern Barn Owl found in Australia, is an endemic breeder. They are mostly found in the eastern half of the continent, except western QLD, plus basically all of the NT. They breed in the South-East of the continent, in the southern and eastern hill ranges and the Murray River catchment. Outside their breeding season they are also found along the West coast of the continent and occasionally, when conditions are right for them to find sufficient prey, anywhere in between, including the most arid parts of the continent. Barn Owls are also found in Tasmania, mostly on the eastern side. Eastern Barn Owls can be found in a variety of habitats, from open grassland (when hunting) to open woodland and riparian woodland, where there are trees with suitable hollows or caves. They adapt well to the presence of humans and can be found roosting and/or nesting e.g. in barns or sheds.

Sightings Click here for sighting information An Eastern Barn Owl was first seen by us in Australia in July 2009, on a roadside reflector post just East of Bauhinia, QLD, without a chance to take a photo. M. Windeyer reports spotting an Eastern Barn Owl occasionally in the township of Gilgandra, NSW. A pair of birds was seen regularly by us over an extended period in 2011, 15 km East of Narrabri, NSW. Another pair was spotted 15 km North-East of Narrabri. Occasionally, Eastern Barn Owls are heard calling at Eulah Creek, 20 km East of Narrabri. A family of at least three birds was spotted in a River Red Gum at Gurley Creek, about 10 km East of Gurley, NSW, in December 2013. P. Spark's help with these observations is most gratefully acknowledged. C. Hayne reports occasionally seeing Eastern Barn Owls hunting off road signs and reflector posts in the area of Moree, NSW. Two Eastern Barn Owls were seen by us hunting by a roadside about 20-30 km East of Bellata, NSW, in June 2015. M. Eaton reports spotting an Eastern Barn Owl in Anstead, QLD, in April 2018. M. Mearns found an Eastern Barn Owl along the Bedouri to Boulia Highway, western QLD, in September 2019. The calls of an adult Eastern Barn Owl with a begging juvenile were recorded by us in woodland between Eulah Creek and Deriah Aboriginal Area, 30 km East of Narrabri, NSW, in December 2019. A pair of Eastern Barn Owls was found by us at Eulah Creek in March 2021. V. Collins reports finding an Eastern Barn Owl roosting in a shed at a grain handling facility in Narrabri, NSW, in June 2021. V. Collins ourselves found a pair of Eastern Barn Owls nesting in a tree in the yard of a farm near Narrabri, NSW, in July 2021. P. Brown found an Eastern Barn Owl at Fogg Dam CR, NT, in August 2021.

Photos

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ADULT

MALE

Full-frontal view of a male(?) Eastern Barn Owl in captivity (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)

Near-lateral view of a male(?) Eastern Barn Owl in captivity (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)

Dorsal view of a male(?) Eastern Barn Owl in captivity; note the sparsity of rufous hues (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)

FEMALE

Full-frontal view of a female Eastern Barn Owl
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2021]

Frontal view of a snoozing female Eastern Barn Owl (photo courtesy of M. Windeyer)
[Gilgandra, NSW, July 2011]

Frontal view of a female Eastern Barn Owl looking sideways
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2021]

Close-up near-frontal portrait of a female Eastern Barn Owl (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Narrabri, NSW, June 2021]

Near-frontal view of a female Eastern Barn Owl
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2021]

Near-frontal view of a female Eastern Barn Owl looking downwards
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2021]

Near-frontal view of a female Eastern Barn Owl looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead, QLD, April 2018]

Near-lateral view of a female Eastern Barn Owl
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2021]

Lateral view of a female Eastern Barn Owl looking towards the observer
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2021]

Near-dorsal view of a female Eastern Barn Owl looking at the photographer (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Narrabri, NSW, June 2021]

Near-dorsal view of a female Eastern Barn Owl looking at the photographer (photo courtesy of M. Windeyer)
[Gilgandra, NSW, September 2017]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Close-up frontal view of 3 fledgling Eastern Barn Owls at the entrance to their nest hollow
[Near Narrabri, NSW, July 2021]

Close-up near-frontal view of a fledgling Eastern Barn Owl looking up
[Near Narrabri, NSW, July 2021]

Near-frontal view of a fledgling Eastern Barn Owl on the ground
[Near Narrabri, NSW, July 2021]

Near-lateral view of a fledgling Eastern Barn Owl
[Near Narrabri, NSW, July 2021]

Near-lateral view of a fledgling Eastern Barn Owl, different stance
[Near Narrabri, NSW, July 2021]

Close-up lateral portrait of a fledgling Eastern Barn Owl
[Near Narrabri, NSW, July 2021]

3 fledgling Eastern Barn Owls, one of which is issuing a begging call
[Near Narrabri, NSW, July 2021]

Near-dorsal view of a fledgling Eastern Barn Owl looking backwards
[Near Narrabri, NSW, July 2021]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a fledgling Eastern Barn Owl
[Near Narrabri, NSW, July 2021]

Breeding information

Breeding season: All year

Eggs: 2 - 3

Incubation period: 33 days

Fledging age: 42 - 63 days

Eastern Barn Owls can breed any time of the year. In the tropical North they will breed during the dry season, while in the interior of the continent they will breed after significant rainfall events. Usually they have 2 broods per season, but in the case of a rodent plague there may be more. Egg-laying happens over a considerable period of time, which can lead to age differences of dependent young of up to several weeks.

Nest building: ?

Incubation: Female

Dependent care: Male & female

The male will feed the female during egg incubation. The female will only start to leave the nest when the youngest chicks are about 6 weeks old. From then on the female helps with feeding the brood. After fledging, the female is the sole provider and will teach the offspring hunting skills.

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Tree hollow

Material: Scattered regurgitated food pellets as lining

Height above ground: 5? - 15? m

While nest entrances are usually well off the ground, the nest inside its hollow may be at ground level, because Eastern Barn Owls use very deep hollows. Where no trees are available, Eastern Barn Owls will also nest in rock crevices.

Overview of the location of an Eastern Barn Owl nesting tree right next to a chicken coop; click to see a large version, in which three fledglings can be seen ca. 3/4 of the way up to the top
[Near Narrabri, NSW, July 2021]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 43 x 32 mm

Colour: Chalky white

Shape: Elliptical

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Dispersive

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair

Female Eastern Barn Owl roosting very conveniently in a corner of a shed at a grain handling facility at the time of a mouse plague (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Narrabri, NSW, June 2021]

Female Eastern Barn Owl emerging from its roost covered in cobwebs (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Narrabri, NSW, June 2021]

3 fledgling Eastern Barn Owls sitting outside their nest; an Australian Magpie swooped on them around sunset...
[Near Narrabri, NSW, July 2021]

... forcing one of the 3 fledgling Eastern Barn Owls to withdraw into the opening of the nest hollow again
[Near Narrabri, NSW, July 2021]

Food competition can lead to fights between fledgling Eastern Barn Owls
[Near Narrabri, NSW, July 2021]

Food, Diet

Like other owls, Eastern Barn Owls are carnivores. They prey mostly on small mammals, in particular mice.

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

barnowl_20210402.m4a	(NW NSW)	Contact call	© MD
barnowl_20201208_2.m4a	(NW NSW)	Contact call	© MD
barnowl_20201208.m4a	(NW NSW)	Contact call	© MD
barnowl_20191203.m4a	(NW NSW)	Contact calls	© MD
barnowl_20210305_2.m4a	(NW NSW)	Contact calls (pair Q&A; in-flight)	© MD
barnowl_20210402_2.m4a	(NW NSW)	Arrival	© MD
barnowl_20210305.m4a	(NW NSW)	Contact calls (in-flight; + Tawny Frogmouth)	© MD
barnowl_20191203_2.m4a	(NW NSW)	Contact calls (+ Brush-tailed Possum + Australian Owlet-nightjar)	© MD
barnowl_20191203_3.m4a	(NW NSW)	Begging calls (juvenile)	© MD
barnowl_vc_20210706.m4a	(NW NSW)	Begging calls (fledglings)	© VC
barnowl_20210707.m4a	(NW NSW)	Begging calls (3 fledglings)	© MD
barnowl_20210707_2.mp3	(NW NSW)	Begging calls (3 fledglings, long sequence)	© MD

The following recording documents a sequence of events. First 3 fledgling Eastern Barn Owls start begging for food around sunset. Then an Australian Magpie comes and swoops on them, which makes the fledglings fall silent - and one of them retreat back into the nest hollow - until the attacker leaves again. All the time one can hear chickens settling in on their roosts and other sounds of a working farm, such vehicles (and photographers).

barnowl_20210707_3.mp3

(NW NSW)

Begging calls (3 fledglings) + Australian Magpie + background

© MD

More Eastern Barn Owl sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Fri, 20 August 2021, 21:24 +00:00