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Barn Owl
(Tyto alba)
: "Common Barn Owl", "Western Barn Owl"
 German name(s): "Schleiereule"
Size: 29-44 cm; wing span 0.7-1.05 m
Weight: 225-710 g
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Similar
species |
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Physical description |
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 Click here for a physical description
Barn Owls are medium-sized owls.
Their plumage is
highly cryptic.
There are two groups of races according to morphology, the
"white-fronted" and the "grey-fronted" Barn Owls.
The two sexes are very hard to distinguish in the field.
The main feature of Barn Owls is their pale, heart-shaped
face surrounded by a dark-grey fringe. The sides of the head
are rufous, while the cap, nape of the neck and back are grey
with very fine vermiculation. The front can be white or grey.
Most parts are speckled - the front, underwings and sides of
the head with dark specks, and the back with dark-and-light
grey double specks. The legs are covered in hairy-looking
feathers.
The irises are dark; the bill is pinkish-grey.
Young chicks are covered in grey down.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See 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).
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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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 Barn Owl is available
HERE
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There are in total 28 extant races of the Barn Owl,
which are sedentary throughout their range.
They are the most widely distributed species of owl on earth.
Their overall range spans parts of North and South America,
Africa, Europe and Asia, and many tropical and subtropical
islands. They populate much of the world from about -50
degrees latitude to +55 degrees latitude, with the exception
of all of Asia north-eastward of a line connection the Baltic
states with the Himalayas.
Note that many sources list the Australasian
Eastern Barn Owl
(Tyto delicatula) as a separate species.
In continental Europe there are two races of Barn Owl.
Nominate race
"alba"
populates southern and western Europe, including the British
Isles, up to a line connecting roughly the Netherlands with
the eastern Alps.
Race "guttata" is found north-eastward of that line, to
about the Baltic states and western Belarus and Ukraine.
Race "ernesti" is endemic to Corsica, while race "schmitzi"
is found only on the island of Madeira.
Barn Owls are found in a wide variety of habitats. They are
sedentary and nest in hollows; therefore they want some kind
of suitable hollow available in their range, such as
either a (natural) tree hollow or in a building or a ruin.
For hunting (voles, frogs, insects) they want access to
open country as in scattered copses, along the fringes of
woodland or around human habitation.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
Race "alba"
J. Pires reports spotting
Barn Owls, nominate race
"alba",
in the Tejo estuary, Portugal, in August 2020. At the time
more than 20 Barn Owls were seen there.
All sighting and photographic information presented on this
page has kindly been contributed by J. Pires.
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Photos |
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Race "alba"
This race belongs to the pale-bellied "alba group" of Barn Owls.
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ADULT |
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Near-lateral view of a Barn Owl
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, August 2020]
Lateral view of a Barn Owl
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, August 2020]
Lateral view of a Barn Owl on the point of departure,
showing its underwing
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, August 2020]
Near-dorsal view of a Barn Owl
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, August 2020]
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.
Breeding
Nest
Eggs
Behaviour
Food
Call/s
