Barn Owl

Pale, heart-shaped facial disk. Golden-brown upperparts with grey and white speckling. White to buff underparts with small dark spots. Females tend to have more spots.

Heart-shaped white face, dark eyes, long legs, white underparts, and lack of ear tufts.

Length: 33-39 cm; Wingspan: 80-95 cm; Weight: 250-700 g.

Does not hoot; makes a long, eerie, raspy screech and various hissing sounds.

Primarily small mammals like voles, mice, and shrews; occasionally small birds and insects.

Open country, farm fields, grasslands, and marshes; adapts well to human-modified landscapes.

Mainly resident; some northern populations may move slightly south during harsh winters.

Cavity nester; uses barns, silos, and trees. Lays 2-18 eggs. Monogamous; both parents care for young.

Masked Owl (larger, darker face) and Sooty Owl (much darker plumage). Distinguished by its bright white/pale heart-shaped face.

Highly important for rodent control, significantly reducing populations of mice, rats, and voles near agricultural areas.

Least Concern (IUCN); population trends vary by region but generally stable globally.

Look for them hunting over open fields, marshes, and meadows at twilight. Often nests in old barns, church steeples, or hollow trees.

Barn owls have exceptionally sensitive hearing and can hunt in total darkness using sound alone. Their feathers are fringed for silent flight.