The barn owl is one of the most widely distributed owl species in the world, found on every continent except Antarctica, easily recognized by its pale, heart-shaped facial disc, golden-buff upperparts and white underside. It hunts almost entirely at night, relying on extraordinarily acute hearing to locate small rodents moving in complete darkness beneath grass or snow, aided by an asymmetrical arrangement of its ear openings that allows it to pinpoint sound with remarkable precision, and it can fly almost silently thanks to specially adapted feathers. Barn owls nest in cavities in trees, cliffs, barns and other buildings, which gives the species its common name, and a single pair can consume thousands of rodents in a year, making them valuable for natural pest control in farmland. Though widespread, populations in some regions have declined due to loss of nesting sites and hunting habitat, and many farmers now install nest boxes to encourage the species.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) Relationship to People Living or ExtinctDerived from this species' own Conservation Status: this atlas's IUCN category list has no Extinct value, so a set conservation-status is itself evidence of living status. Scientific NameRecorded in the historical broad sense for barn owls worldwide, matching this entity's own worldwide range; taxonomic work in 2016-2018 split this concept into four species (T. alba sensu stricto in Europe, southwest Asia and Africa, T. furcata in the Americas, T. javanica in Asia-Pacific, T. deroepstorffi in the Andamans). Conservation Status Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceA medium-sized owl with a pale, heart-shaped facial disc, grey-and-brown mottled upperparts, and underparts ranging from white to brown, sometimes speckled with dark markings. 1 Comparison
CITES Appendix Connections
Child Taxon Of
In Biome
Bog, Biomes Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Tyto alba
Desert, Biomes Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Tyto alba
In Ecosystem
Source Western Barn Owl (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. Western Barn Owl (Wikipedia)
WikipediaTaxonomy section, third paragraph
This led to the breakup of the former broad view of Tyto alba into four species, now distinguished separately as the western barn owl T. alba (sensu stricto), the American barn owl T. furcata, the eastern barn owl T. javanica, and the Andaman masked owl T. deroepsdorffi.
Introduction, final sentence
When large numbers of small prey are readily available, barn owl populations can expand rapidly, and globally the barn owl is listed Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Some subspecies with restricted ranges are more threatened.
Description section, opening sentences
The plumage on the head and back is a mottled shade of grey or brown; that on the underparts varies from white to brown and is sometimes speckled with dark markings. The facial disc is characteristically large and heart-shaped, with white plumage in most subspecies.
- Category: Fauna listed on CITES Appendix II
In Ecosystem: Heath, Article text
The western barn owl inhabits open wetlands and grasslands, savannas, heathlands and deciduous shrublands up to an elevation of 4,000 m (13,000 ft), but also agricultural landscapes and peri-urban areas.
View the Source 2. EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014)
3. GBIF Species API
4. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Tyto alba
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyConservation Status: CITES
CITES Appendix II
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive: "Barn owls limit rodent pest populations, benefit"
Barn owls limit rodent pest populations, benefiting farmers and others.
In Biome: Desert, Habitat Regions, biome: desert or dune
desert or dune desert or dune
In Biome: Bog, Habitat Regions, biome: bog
bog bog
View the Source Wikidata: Barn Owl
Catalogue of Life
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of LifeChild Taxon Of: StrigiformesView the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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