Barn Owl
Barn Owl
Adult female
- Slender, medium-sized owl
- Rounded head with white facial disc
- Large black eyes
- Tawny patterned overall with black speckling on breast
- © Red-Star, WA, May 2009
Barn Owl
Adult male in flight
- Lanky, with long, slender wings and long legs
- Very pale underneath
- Tawny brown head and upperparts
- Large black eyes contrast with white facial disc
- © Tim Lenz, NV, January 2009
Barn Owl
Adult female
- Medium-sized owl
- Rounded head with no ear tufts and white, heart-shaped face
- Tawny patterned wings and back
- Tawny/buff breast with black speckling
- © Nick Chill, CA, Mission Trails Regional Park, May 2012
Barn Owl
Adult in flight
- Medium-sized owl, with lanky proportions
- Rounded head with white, heart-shaped facial disc
- Long wings
- Tawny-brown patterned across upperparts
- © Conrad Tan, CA, October 2011
Barn Owl
Adult at roost
- Usually roosts inside barns or similar structures during the day
- White, heart-shaped facial disc
- Large, black eyes
- Patterned in tawny brown and gray overall
- © Robinsegg, UT, Box Elder County, February 2012
Barn Owl
Adult male in flight
- Appears very pale in flight
- Flutters moth-like over fields and marshes while hunting
- Large black eyes contrast with white, heart-shaped facial disc
- Long legs dangle in flight
- © Lee Crabtree, England, November 2010
Barn Owl
Juvenile
- Compact and covered in fluffy down
- Shows distinctive white, heart-shaped facial disc of adult
- Large, dark eyes
- © Russ Campbell, September 2010
Similar Species
Adult
- Heavier-bodied and more barrel-chested than Barn Owl
- Darker head and dark streaks on breast
- Under-wings show black tip and black crescent mark at mid-wing
- Glowing, yellow eyes
- © Cameron Rognan, Ovid, NY, January 2009
Immature male
- Much larger and heavier-bodied than Barn Owl
- Bright, snowy white over whole body
- Smaller, yellow eyes
- © Ian Davies, Plymouth, MA, November 2011
Juvenile and adult
- Juvenile is similar to juvenile Barn Owl but larger and stockier
- Tawny face with large, yellow eyes
- © Donald Thompson, Highland City , FL, March 2010
Adult
- Similar in size and shape to Barn Owl
- Much darker overall
- Obvious, long ear tufts
- Tawny face with glowing, yellow eyes
- © Ben Smith, Antelope Valley, CA, March 2011