Barn Owl

The Barn Owl is one of the most widely distributed birds in the world, instantly recognizable by its heart-shaped, pure white facial disk, dark eyes, and overall golden-buff and gray upperparts contrasting with a pale, often nearly white, underside. Its long legs and rounded wings give it a distinctive silhouette in flight, and its pale coloring combined with silent, buoyant flight has earned it the nickname "ghost owl" in many cultures.

Unlike the hooting calls typical of most owls, the Barn Owl produces an eerie, drawn-out screech, adding to its reputation as an otherworldly nighttime presence over open fields.

Key Field Marks

• Distinctive heart-shaped white facial disk
• Golden-buff and gray, finely speckled upperparts
• Pale, whitish underparts (more heavily marked in some regions)
• Long legs and rounded wings; buoyant, silent flight low over open ground

Similar Species

• Snowy Owl: much larger and bulkier with a rounded (not heart-shaped) facial disk and yellow eyes, found in different habitat (Arctic tundra versus farmland).
• Short-eared Owl: has visible, though small, ear tufts and streaked, mottled plumage without the Barn Owl's clean white heart-shaped face.

Range

Barn Owls have one of the widest natural distributions of any land bird, found on every continent except Antarctica. In North America they occur across much of the United States, southern Canada, and Mexico, though populations can be patchy.

Habitat

They favor open country including farmland, grasslands, marshes, and desert edges, roosting and nesting in barns, silos, church steeples, tree cavities, and nest boxes, a close association with human structures reflected in the species' name.

Hunting

Barn Owls hunt almost entirely at night, flying low and silently over open fields using exceptional hearing, among the most acute of any animal tested, to locate rodents moving through grass even in complete darkness.

Voice

Unlike most owls, Barn Owls do not hoot; instead they give a harsh, prolonged, raspy screech, along with hissing sounds, particularly from young in the nest.

Nesting

Barn Owls nest in dark cavities such as barns, silos, tree hollows, cliff crevices, and specially designed nest boxes, which are widely used in agricultural areas to encourage natural rodent control. Clutches can be large, sometimes containing four to seven eggs.