Common Barn-Owl
Tyto alba
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderStrigiformes (Owls)
- FamilyTytonidae (Barn Owls)
- GenusTyto (Barn, Masked, Grass, and Sooty Owls)
- SpeciesTyto alba (Common Barn-Owl)
About the Common Barn-Owl
The western barn owl (Tyto alba) is a species of barn owl native to Europe, southwestern Asia, and Africa. It was formerly considered a subspecies group together with barn owls native to other parts of the world, but this classification was found to be paraphyletic with respect to some other members of the genus.
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. This owl does not hoot, but utters an eerie, drawn-out screech.
The western barn owl is nocturnal over most of its range, but in Great Britain, it also hunts by day. Barn owls specialise in hunting animals on the ground, and nearly all of their food consists of small mammals, which they locate by sound, their hearing being very acute. The owls usually mate for life unless one of the pair is killed, whereupon a new pair bond may be formed. Breeding takes place at varying times of the year, according to the locality, with a clutch of eggs, averaging about four in number, being laid in a nest in a hollow tree, old building, or fissure in a cliff. The female does all the incubation, and relies on the male to hunt for food. 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. Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Common Barn-Owl in Moremi Game Reserve
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Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Common Barn-Owl in Moremi Game Reserve?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Barn-Owl sighting in Moremi Game Reserve, based on 58 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Common Barn-Owl in Moremi Game Reserve?
December has the highest sighting rate for Common Barn-Owl in Moremi Game Reserve in our monthly data.