The world's most widespread land bird, barn owls hunt by sound alone in complete darkness. Their heart-shaped facial disc acts as a satellite dish, focusing the faintest rustle of prey.
Vocalizations
Hissing screech
Somerset, UK
Grade A
0:40
Recordings sourced from Xeno-canto. Quality grades: A (excellent) to E (poor).
Distribution & Habitat
Worldwide except polar regions
View on interactive map →FarmlandGrasslandOpen WoodlandUrban
Classification
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Tytonidae
- Season
- Year-round
- Diet
- Voles, Mice, Shrews, Rats
Measurements
- Wingspan
- 80–95 cm
- Length
- 33–39 cm
- Weight
- 430–620 g
Data Sources
- eBird
- iNaturalist
- Xeno-canto