Common Barn-Owl
Common Barn-OwlCommon Barn-OwlCommon Barn-OwlCommon Barn-Owl

Common Barn-Owl

Tyto alba

Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Ruaha National Park
13 Verified sightings at Ruaha National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,335 Verified sightings across all 59 parks From 2019 to 2026
April Best month highest sighting rate
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted Active throughout day and night

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 →

Closest Relatives at Ruaha National Park

Pearl-spotted Owlet
LC

Pearl-spotted Owlet

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Glaucidium perlatum

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Verreaux's Eagle-Owl
LC

Verreaux's Eagle-Owl

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Bubo lacteus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
African Scops-Owl
LC

African Scops-Owl

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Otus senegalensis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
African Barred Owlet
LC

African Barred Owlet

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Glaucidium capense

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Spotted Eagle-Owl
LC

Spotted Eagle-Owl

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Bubo africanus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Pel's Fishing-Owl
LC

Pel's Fishing-Owl

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Scotopelia peli

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Marsh Owl
LC

Marsh Owl

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Asio capensis

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Berenty Reserve 🇲🇬 Madagascar
~20%
2 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
3 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
<5%
4 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
5 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
6 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
<5%
7 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
8 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
<5%
9 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
10 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
<5%
11 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
<5%
12 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
<5%
13 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
<5%
14 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
15 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
16 Ankarafantsika National Park 🇲🇬 Madagascar
<5%
17 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
18 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
<5%
19 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
<5%
20 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
<5%
21 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
22 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
23 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
24 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
25 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
<5%
26 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
27 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
28 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
29 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
30 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
31 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
32 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
33 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
34 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
35 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
36 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
<5%
37 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
38 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
39 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
Insufficient data
40 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
41 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
Insufficient data
42 Waterberg Plateau Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
Insufficient data
43 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
Insufficient data
44 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
Insufficient data
45 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
46 Bale Mountains National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
Insufficient data
47 Ranomafana National Park 🇲🇬 Madagascar
Insufficient data
48 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
Insufficient data
49 Picos de Europa National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data
50 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
51 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
52 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
53 Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data
54 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data
55 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
56 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data
57 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
58 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
Insufficient data
59 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Common Barn-Owl in Ruaha National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Barn-Owl sighting in Ruaha National Park, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Common Barn-Owl in Ruaha National Park?

April has the highest sighting rate for Common Barn-Owl in Ruaha National Park in our monthly data.

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