American Barn Owl
Tyto furcata
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderStrigiformes (Owls)
- FamilyTytonidae (Barn Owls)
- GenusTyto (Barn, Masked, Grass, and Sooty Owls)
- SpeciesTyto furcata (American Barn Owl)
About the American Barn Owl
The American barn owl (Tyto furcata) is usually considered a subspecies group and together with the western barn owl group, the eastern barn owl group, and sometimes the Andaman masked owl, make up the barn owl, cosmopolitan in range. The barn owl is recognized by most taxonomic authorities. A few (including the International Ornithologists' Union) separate them into distinct species, as is done here. The American barn owl is native to North and South America, and has been introduced to Hawaii.
The ashy-faced owl (T. glaucops) was for some time included in T. alba, and by some authors its populations from the Lesser Antilles still are. Based on DNA evidence, König, Weick & Becking (2009) recognised the American barn owl (T. furcata) and the Curaçao barn owl (T. bargei) as separate species, though the latter is now considered a subspecies of the American barn owl (T. furcata bargei; see #Subspecies, below).
The American barn owl is a medium-sized, pale-coloured owl with long wings and a short, squarish tail. However, the largest-bodied race of barn owl, T. f. furcata from Cuba and Jamaica, is also an island race, albeit being found on more sizeable islands with larger... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of American Barn Owl in Great Bear Rainforest
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Great Bear Rainforest
Great Gray Owl
Strix nebulosa
Northern Hawk Owl
Surnia ulula
Northern Pygmy Owl
Glaucidium californicum
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Glaucidium gnoma
Barred Owl
Strix varia
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Aegolius acadicus
Great Horned Owl
Bubo virginianus
Short-eared Owl
Asio flammeus
Western Screech-Owl
Megascops kennicottii
Boreal Owl
Aegolius funereus
Snowy Owl
Bubo scandiacus
Long-eared Owl
Asio otus
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.