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What the sources say

Barn OwlTyto alba

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Barn Owl profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 58 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Tyto alba (barn owl). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysnesting in cavities such as hollow trees, cliffs, church steeples and barn lofts
The source saysThey require cavities for nesting, such as hollow trees, cavities in cliffs and riverbanks, nest boxes, caves, church steeples, barn lofts, and hay stacks.
The page saysbegins hunting alone after sunset, and in complete darkness it relies on its hearing
The source saysBarn owls begin hunting alone after sunset. ... When hunting in complete darkness, however, the owl relies on its acute hearing to capture prey.
The page saysA barn owl attacks in a low flight and grabs its prey with its feet. It nips through the back of the skull with its bill, then swallows the prey whole
The source saysBarn owls attack their prey in low flights (1.5m-4.5 meters above the ground), capture the prey with their feet, and nip through the back of the skull with the bill. They then swallow the prey whole.
The page saysThey need a cavity to nest in, such as a hollow tree, a cliff, a church steeple or a barn loft.
The source saysThey require cavities for nesting, such as hollow trees, cavities in cliffs and riverbanks, nest boxes, caves, church steeples, barn lofts, and hay stacks.
The page sayswhere barn owls are much smaller than North American ones, golden eagles, red kites, goshawks, buzzards, peregrine falcons, lanners, eagle owls and tawny owls sometimes prey on them
The source saysBarn owl subspecies in the western Palearctic are much smaller than those in North America. These subspecies are sometimes preyed upon by golden eagles, red kites, goshawks, buzzards, peregrine falcons, lanners, eagle owls and tawny owls.Note: the western Palearctic lies inside today's Tyto alba range; '(Europe, North Africa and the Middle East)' is a gloss of the term
The page saysIt begins hunting alone after sunset.
The source saysBarn owls begin hunting alone after sunset.
The page saysIt attacks in a low flight and grabs its prey with its feet, nips through the back of the skull with its bill, and then swallows the prey whole.
The source saysBarn owls attack their prey in low flights (1.5m-4.5 meters above the ground), capture the prey with their feet, and nip through the back of the skull with the bill. They then swallow the prey whole.
The page saysgives a body length of 34 to 40 cm for females and 32 to 38 cm for males
The source saysFemales also have a slightly longer body length (34 to 40 cm for females, 32 to 38 cm for males)Note: ADW's account (updated 2002) covers Tyto alba in the old worldwide sense; the sentence says so. No current British page with a length could be read: Wildlife Trusts 403, Barn Owl Trust and Hawk and Owl Trust 404, RSPB page has no figures (wave 49 final pass).

Source
02

British Trust for Ornithology

Barn Owl, Tyto alba: BirdFacts. British Trust for Ornithology.

The page saysLive adult barn owls in the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) data average 337 grams, and nine in ten weigh between 280 and 420 grams.
The source saysWing length and body weights are from live birds ... Body weight Average ±1 std deviation; 5th and 95th percentiles and sample size in brackets. ... All adults 337.3±43.6 g (280-420 g, N=522)Note: 337 rounds 337.3; nine in ten = between the 5th and 95th percentiles
The page says337 Grams on Average
The source saysAll adults 337.3±43.6 g (280-420 g, N=522)Note: 337 rounds 337.3; average of live adults in BTO data, as the blockquote's first sentence says
The page saysFemales are the heavier sex, averaging 354 grams to a male's 312.
The source saysFemale 354.3±43.9 g (295-435 g, N=311) Male 311.5±27.3 g (270-360 g, N=195)Note: 354 and 312 round 354.3 and 311.5
The page saysthe BTO gives a typical life expectancy of 4 years for a bird that reaches breeding age
The source saysTypical life expectancy of bird reaching breeding age 4 years with breeding typically at 1 yearNote: the source's 'typically' qualifies breeding age (1 year), not the 4-year figure, which it calls 'Typical life expectancy'
The page saysThe BTO's longevity record for a ringed barn owl is 15 years, 3 months and 21 days, set in 2016.
The source saysMaximum age from a ringed bird 15 years, 3 months, 21 days (set in 2016)Note: replaces the Barn Owl Trust's undated 18-year British and 30-year European records: the dated BTO record wins
The page saysweightKg: 0.34
The source saysAll adults 337.3±43.6 g (280-420 g, N=522)Note: 337.3 g (all adults, live birds) rounded to 0.34 kg.

Source
03

Barn Owl Trust

Barn Owl life expectancy. Barn Owl Trust.

The page saysMost barn owls die in their first year, which is why their average life expectancy in Britain is only 18 months.
The source saysBecause most Barn Owls die in their first year, average life expectancy (in Britain) is only 18 months.Note: 'which is why'/'so' renders the source's own 'Because'
The page saysStarvation is thought to be the main cause of death.
The source saysStarvation is thought to be the main cause of mortality.
The page saysIt strikes most often at nestlings, at inexperienced young birds leaving the place they hatched, and in severe winter weather.
The source saysIt occurs most often amongst nestling, inexperienced young birds during juvenile dispersal, or in periods of severe winter weather.Note: 'leaving the place they hatched' glosses juvenile dispersal
The page saysMany barn owls are hit by cars, lorries and trains, and some fly into overhead wires or drown in cattle troughs.
The source saysmany are hit by cars, lorries, and trains. Some fly into overhead wires, or drown in cattle troughs
The page saysignoring first-year deaths, a Swiss study found an average life expectancy of 4 years
The source saysHowever, a study in Switzerland showed that, if first-year deaths are ignored, the average life expectancy is 4 years.
The page saysMost die in their first year, so the average life expectancy in Britain is only 18 months, and starvation is thought to be the main cause of death.
The source saysBecause most Barn Owls die in their first year, average life expectancy (in Britain) is only 18 months. ... Starvation is thought to be the main cause of mortality.Note: 'which is why'/'so' renders the source's own 'Because'
The page saysBirds that survive their first year do much better: a Swiss study found that, ignoring first-year deaths, the average life expectancy is 4 years.
The source saysBecause most Barn Owls die in their first year, average life expectancy (in Britain) is only 18 months. However, a study in Switzerland showed that, if first-year deaths are ignored, the average life expectancy is 4 years.Note: 'much better' compares the source's own 4 years with its 18 months

Source
04

Woodland Trust

Barn owl (Tyto alba). Woodland Trust.

The page saysheart-faced
The source saysWith bright white feathers and a distinctive heart-shaped face, there’s no mistaking the barn owl.
The page saysis completely silent on the wing
The source saysBarn owls are completely silent when on the wing.
The page saysOpen countryside, grassland and farmland
The source saysHabitat: open countryside, roadside verges, farmland ... scouring open grassland for small mammals
The page saysVoles, mice, shrews and rats
The source saysDiet: small mammals including mice, shrews, rats and voles
The page saysBarn owls are completely silent on the wing, and they use that stealth to sneak up on prey.
The source saysBarn owls are completely silent when on the wing. ... They use their stealth to sneak up on prey.
The page saysbrings up the bones and fur as an owl pellet
The source saysBarn owls swallow their food whole, regurgitating bone and fur as owl pellets.
The page saysIn Britain, barn owls live in open countryside and farmland and are often seen on roadside verges.
The source saysBarn owls are distributed across Great Britain and Ireland. They live in open countryside and farmland, and can often be seen on roadside verges.
The page saystags: grassland
The source saysBarn owls are avid hunters, scouring open grassland for small mammals such as voles, mice, shrews and rats.
The page saystags: agricultural
The source saysThey live in open countryside and farmland, and can often be seen on roadside verges.
The page saysfor a hunter that is completely silent on the wing
The source saysBarn owls are completely silent when on the wing.

Source
05

Payne 1971

Payne (1971). Acoustic Location of Prey by Barn Owls (Tyto Alba). Journal of Experimental Biology.

The page saysin tests, found prey in total darkness by sound alone with an error of under one degree
The source saysBarn owls (Tyto alba) can locate prey in total darkness using only the sense of hearing, with an error of less than 1° in both the vertical and horizontal planes.Note: Payne 1971 used the pre-2016 worldwide Tyto alba concept; the page says so in the body and FAQ 1
The page saysIn tests, it found prey in total darkness by sound alone with an error of under one degree.
The source saysBarn owls (Tyto alba) can locate prey in total darkness using only the sense of hearing, with an error of less than 1° in both the vertical and horizontal planes.Note: Payne 1971 used the pre-2016 worldwide Tyto alba concept; the page says so in the body and FAQ 1
The page saysIts two external ears are asymmetric
The source sayscorrelated with the asymmetry of the barn owl’s external ears
The page saysa flap of skin in front of each ear opening can redirect where that ear is most sensitive
The source saysMovements of a flap of skin in front of the ear opening changes the overall directional sensitivity patterns by redirecting the regions of maximum sensitivity.Note: 'most sensitive' renders the source's 'regions of maximum sensitivity' / 'regions of high sensitivity'
The page saysIn a 1971 study, barn owls located prey in total darkness using only their ears, with an error of less than one degree both left-to-right and up-down.
The source saysBarn owls (Tyto alba) can locate prey in total darkness using only the sense of hearing, with an error of less than 1° in both the vertical and horizontal planes.Note: 1971 is the reference's own year
The page saysOwls trained to strike a hidden loudspeaker depended on sounds above 5 kHz.
The source saysExperiments with owls trained to strike a concealed loudspeaker show that they depend on frequencies of sound above 5 kHz.
The page saysAbove 8.5 kHz each ear is highly directional, and the two ears are most sensitive in different directions, which matches the asymmetry of the owl's external ears.
The source saysfor frequencies above 8-5 kHz the ear is highly directional. At such frequencies, regions of high sensitivity (tightly isolated by peripheral regions of low sensitivity) are directed along different paths for the two ears. These regions of good sensitivity are correlated with the asymmetry of the barn owl’s external ears.Note: 8.5 kHz renders the source's own typeset '8-5 kHz' (a decimal point in the 1971 journal's house style); 'matches' renders 'correlated with'; 'most sensitive' renders the source's 'regions of maximum sensitivity' / 'regions of high sensitivity'
The page saysMoving a flap of skin in front of each ear opening redirects where that ear is most sensitive.
The source saysMovements of a flap of skin in front of the ear opening changes the overall directional sensitivity patterns by redirecting the regions of maximum sensitivity.Note: 'most sensitive' renders the source's 'regions of maximum sensitivity' / 'regions of high sensitivity'
The page saysThe study's theory was that the owl may find a sound by turning its head until every frequency in it is loudest in both ears at once
The source saysA theory is presented to explain how a barn owl might locate the position of a sound source by moving its head until the intensity of all frequencies comprising a complex sound is brought to a maximum in both ears (aided perhaps by differences in inter-aural time delay that are enhanced by intensity disparities).Note: 'loudest' renders 'intensity ... brought to a maximum'; 'may' keeps the source's 'might'
The page saysIn a 1971 study, made when Tyto alba still meant barn owls worldwide, barn owls found prey in total darkness by hearing alone, with an error of less than one degree in both direction and height.
The source saysBarn owls (Tyto alba) can locate prey in total darkness using only the sense of hearing, with an error of less than 1° in both the vertical and horizontal planes.Note: 1971 is the reference's own year; the split is aliabadian-2016/uva-2018; 'before' is 1971 against 2016
The page saysOwls trained to strike a hidden loudspeaker depended on sounds above 5 kHz.
The source saysExperiments with owls trained to strike a concealed loudspeaker show that they depend on frequencies of sound above 5 kHz.
The page saysAbove 8.5 kHz each ear is highly directional, and the two asymmetric ears are most sensitive in different directions.
The source saysfor frequencies above 8-5 kHz the ear is highly directional. At such frequencies, regions of high sensitivity (tightly isolated by peripheral regions of low sensitivity) are directed along different paths for the two ears. These regions of good sensitivity are correlated with the asymmetry of the barn owl’s external ears.Note: 8.5 kHz renders the source's own typeset '8-5 kHz' (a decimal point in the 1971 journal's house style); 'most sensitive' renders the source's 'regions of maximum sensitivity' / 'regions of high sensitivity'
The page saysA flap of skin in front of each ear opening can redirect that sensitivity.
The source saysMovements of a flap of skin in front of the ear opening changes the overall directional sensitivity patterns by redirecting the regions of maximum sensitivity.
The page saysThe study's theory was that the owl may find a sound by turning its head until every frequency in it is loudest in both ears at once.
The source saysA theory is presented to explain how a barn owl might locate the position of a sound source by moving its head until the intensity of all frequencies comprising a complex sound is brought to a maximum in both earsNote: 'loudest' renders 'intensity ... brought to a maximum'; 'may' keeps the source's 'might'
The page saysin tests, found prey in total darkness by sound alone
The source saysBarn owls (Tyto alba) can locate prey in total darkness using only the sense of hearing, with an error of less than 1° in both the vertical and horizontal planes.

Source
06

Aliabadian et al. 2016

Aliabadian et al. (2016). Phylogeny, biogeography, and diversification of barn owls (Aves: Strigiformes). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society.

The page saysacross Europe and Africa
The source saysT. alba (Africa, Europe)
The page saysthe Eastern Barn Owl of South and Southeast Asia and Australasia
The source saysthe barn owls of South and South‐east Asia (Tyto alba stertens and Tyto alba javanica) cluster with the Australian barn owl Tyto delicatula ... Tyto javanica (Australasia)
The page sayslives in Africa and Europe
The source saysT. alba (Africa, Europe)
The page saysThe 2016 study proposed treating the three as separate species.
The source saysWe propose to treat the T. alba complex as three species: T. alba (Africa, Europe), Tyto furcata (New World), and Tyto javanica (Australasia).Note: 2016 is the reference's year
The page saysA 2016 genetic study proposed that it is not.
The source saysWe propose to treat the T. alba complex as three species: T. alba (Africa, Europe), Tyto furcata (New World), and Tyto javanica (Australasia).Note: 2016 is the reference's year; Britain is in Europe (T. alba), America in the New World (T. furcata)
The page saysIt suggested treating the barn owl, once counted as one worldwide species, as three: Tyto alba in Africa and Europe, Tyto furcata in the New World, and Tyto javanica in Australasia, which also takes in the barn owls of South and Southeast Asia.
The source saysthe cosmopolitan barn owl, Tyto alba ... the barn owls of South and South‐east Asia (Tyto alba stertens and Tyto alba javanica) cluster with the Australian barn owl Tyto delicatula. We propose to treat the T. alba complex as three species: T. alba (Africa, Europe), Tyto furcata (New World), and Tyto javanica (Australasia).

Source
07

Uva et al. 2018

Uva et al. (2018). Comprehensive molecular phylogeny of barn owls and relatives (Family: Tytonidae), and their six major Pleistocene radiations. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.

The page saysThe study predates the three-way division described below, when Tyto alba still meant barn owls worldwide.
The source saysWe confirm that the Common Barn Owl, Tyto alba is divided into three main evolutionary unitsNote: 1971 vs the 2016/2018 reference years; 'worldwide' is aliabadian-2016's 'the cosmopolitan barn owl, Tyto alba'; 'described below' points to the page's own Where It Hunts section
The page saysGenetic studies in 2016 and 2018 found that the old, worldwide "barn owl" is really three lineages
The source saysWe confirm that the Common Barn Owl, Tyto alba is divided into three main evolutionary units: the American Barn Owl, T. furcata; the Western Barn Owl, T. alba; and the Eastern Barn Owl, T. javanicaNote: years are the references' own metadata; 'lineages' renders 'evolutionary units'
The page saysthe American Barn Owl, the Eastern Barn Owl of South and Southeast Asia and Australasia, and the Western Barn Owl, which keeps the name Tyto alba
The source saysWe confirm that the Common Barn Owl, Tyto alba is divided into three main evolutionary units: the American Barn Owl, T. furcata; the Western Barn Owl, T. alba; and the Eastern Barn Owl, T. javanicaNote: South/Southeast Asia and Australasia range is aliabadian-2016
The page saysA 2018 study confirmed the same three-way division, calling them the Western, American and Eastern Barn Owls.
The source saysWe confirm that the Common Barn Owl, Tyto alba is divided into three main evolutionary units: the American Barn Owl, T. furcata; the Western Barn Owl, T. alba; and the Eastern Barn Owl, T. javanicaNote: 2018 is the reference's year

Source
08

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025

Tyto alba. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T22688504A280909370.

The page saysLeast Concern
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769), IUCN taxon 22688504.
The page saysThe IUCN rates Tyto alba as Least Concern in its 2025 assessment.
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769), IUCN taxon 22688504.Note: 2025 is the assessment DOI's year

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.