Barn Owl
Tyto alba

Identification: A fairly large owl with a wingspread of 45 inches and a body length of 14-20 inches. Barn owls have small dark eyes in a white heart-shaped face and long legs. Upper parts are rusty-brown, underparts are white in makes and crimson in females. Ear tufts are not present.

Range & Habitat: A common resident in all parts of Florida, the Barn Owl has been sighted in the interior of the Everglades and along the overseas highway through the Keys. It is often seen near the edge of human habitation. The Barn Owl is common throughout most of the U.S. and can be found on most every continent in the world.

Reproduction: Barn Owls nest in barns, belfries, hollow trees, deserted animal burrows, caves and holes in creek banks. Clutch size is between 5-10 white eggs, with the number of eggs dependent upon availability of food, usually laid on bare wood or stone. Incubation is 32-34 days, apparently by the female alone. Young owlets fly at about 7 weeks of age. The male helps feed and guard the young.

Diet: Barn owls feed almost exclusively on mice, rats and squirrels, along with a few birds, locating their prey by sound alone. The heart-shaped facial disk aids in collecting sound for hunting. They spend more time actively hunting than any other owl and cover more area than any other nocturnal bird. One-hundred-acre hunting ranges are usual.

Remarks: Though rarely seen, the Barn Owl is very common in Florida. The species is entirely nocturnal and never hunts at dawn or dusk. The genus name, Tyto, is derived from the Greek for "night owl." The Barn Owl doesn't hoot, but has a variety of calls from shrill screeches and high rattling hisses to raucous sneezes and snorting noises.