Barn owl Facts
Barn owls are medium-sized owls in the genus Tyto, with large heads and heart-shaped faces, and theirs is the most widely spread owl genus in the world.
- Class
- Bird
About the barn owl
A heart-shaped face makes a barn owl easy to pick out. These birds have large heads and long, strong legs ending in powerful talons. Tyto is the biggest genus in the family Tytonidae, which also takes in the bay owls of the genus Phodilus, and the name barn owl is sometimes stretched to cover that whole family.
Three species are sometimes lumped together as one, the common barn owl. The western barn owl, T. alba, lives in Europe, Africa and West Asia. The American barn owl, T. furcata, covers the Americas, and the eastern barn owl, T. javanica, ranges through Southeast Asia and Australasia. Other members are more local. The Andaman masked owl lives only on the southern Andaman Islands, and two island species have gone extinct.
Did you know?
- Rivero's barn owl, T. riveroi, once lived in Cuba but is now extinct.
- An extinct species, the New Caledonian barn owl, once lived on New Caledonia in Melanesia.
- The Andaman masked owl's scientific name is T. deroepstorffi.
Questions about the barn owl
Where do barn owls live?
Different species cover Europe, Africa, West Asia, the Americas, Southeast Asia and Australasia, making Tyto the most widely distributed owl genus.
What does a barn owl look like?
It is a medium-sized owl with a large head, a heart-shaped face and long, strong legs with powerful talons.
Sources
- Wikidata Q131528250, checked October 8, 2026
- Wikipedia: Barn owl, checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.