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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): "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).

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based on 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.

Photos

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 - note the rufous-grey back (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead, QLD, April 2018]

Frontal view of a female(?) Eastern Barn Owl
[Near Gurley, NSW, December 2013]

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

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 (photo courtesy of M. Windeyer)
[Gilgandra, NSW, March 2012]

Lateral view of a female Eastern Barn Owl looking at the observer (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Bedouri to Boulia Highway, western QLD, September 2019]

Lateral view of a female Eastern Barn Owl (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Bedouri to Boulia Highway, western QLD, September 2019]

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

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

Sex unknown

Frontal view of two Eastern Barn Owls; it is unknown to us whether this is a pair or an adult with a dependent juvenile; although the bird on the right appears to be taller than the one on the left, the one on the left may be hunched - in a pair the more heavily speckled bird would be the female, which is normally also larger
[Near Gurley, NSW, December 2013]

Frontal view of two Eastern Barn Owls
[Near Gurley, NSW, December 2013]

Frontal view of two Eastern Barn Owls
[Near Gurley, NSW, December 2013]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Dispersive

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair

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_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_20191203_2.m4a	(NW NSW)	Contact calls (+ Brush-tailed Possum + Australian Owlet-nightjar)	© MD
barnowl_20191203_3.m4a	(NW NSW)	Begging calls (juvenile)	© 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.

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