Bird · Carnivore · Grassland and meadow
Barn owl
Tyto alba
Least ConcernSave to My Fauna
The barn owl is a nearly cosmopolitan owl that hunts small mammals by sound. Heart-shaped facial discs funnel noise toward asymmetrically placed ears.
Interactive model
Characteristics
- 0.3–0.5 kg (adult)
- ≈ 0.6–1.1 lb (adult)
- 0.8–1 m (adult)
- ≈ 2.6–3.1 ft (adult)
- 4–10 years
- ≈ 4–10 years
Activity: Mostly nocturnal
Taxonomy
Life stages
Nestling
Raised in cavities, barns and nest boxes.
Adult
Mostly nocturnal hunter; pairs may reuse sites.
Adaptations
Asymmetric ears
Left and right ear openings sit at different heights, improving vertical localisation of rustling prey in darkness.
Behaviour
Specialises on small mammals; silent flight reduces detection.
Habitat and range
- Europe (native)
- Africa (native)
- Americas (native)
Conservation
Least Concern
Population trend: Decreasing
Assessment year 2021 (curated, not live).
- Rodenticides
- Road mortality
Source: Tyto alba. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Compare
Sources
- Tyto alba. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — conservation
- Tyto alba on Animal Diversity Web or equivalent secondary literature — measurement
- Tyto alba on Animal Diversity Web or equivalent secondary literature — text
Photograph: सुगम पोखरेल, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA