---
title: "What the sources say about the Barn Owl | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "58 claims from the Barn Owl profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/barn-owl-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/barn-owl/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Barn Owl (*Tyto alba*)

> 58 claims from the Barn Owl profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Barn Owl](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/barn-owl/)

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

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Tyto_alba/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| nesting in cavities such as hollow trees, cliffs, church steeples and barn lofts | They require cavities for nesting, such as hollow trees, cavities in cliffs and riverbanks, nest boxes, caves, church steeples, barn lofts, and hay stacks. |
| begins hunting alone after sunset, and in complete darkness it relies on its hearing | Barn owls begin hunting alone after sunset. ... When hunting in complete darkness, however, the owl relies on its acute hearing to capture prey. |
| A 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 | Barn 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. |
| They need a cavity to nest in, such as a hollow tree, a cliff, a church steeple or a barn loft. | They require cavities for nesting, such as hollow trees, cavities in cliffs and riverbanks, nest boxes, caves, church steeples, barn lofts, and hay stacks. |
| where 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 | Barn 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) |
| It begins hunting alone after sunset. | Barn owls begin hunting alone after sunset. |
| It 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. | Barn 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. |
| gives a body length of 34 to 40 cm for females and 32 to 38 cm for males | Females 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).) |

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

https://www.bto.org/understanding-birds/birdfacts/barn-owl

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Live adult barn owls in the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) data average 337 grams, and nine in ten weigh between 280 and 420 grams. | Wing 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) |
| 337 Grams on Average | All 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) |
| Females are the heavier sex, averaging 354 grams to a male's 312. | Female 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 BTO gives a typical life expectancy of 4 years for a bird that reaches breeding age | Typical life expectancy of bird reaching breeding age 4 years with breeding typically at 1 year (note: the source's 'typically' qualifies breeding age (1 year), not the 4-year figure, which it calls 'Typical life expectancy') |
| The BTO's longevity record for a ringed barn owl is 15 years, 3 months and 21 days, set in 2016. | Maximum 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) |
| weightKg: 0.34 | All adults 337.3±43.6 g (280-420 g, N=522) (note: 337.3 g (all adults, live birds) rounded to 0.34 kg.) |

## Barn Owl life expectancy. Barn Owl Trust.

https://www.barnowltrust.org.uk/barn-owl-facts/barn-owl-life-expectancy/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Most barn owls die in their first year, which is why their average life expectancy in Britain is only 18 months. | Because 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') |
| Starvation is thought to be the main cause of death. | Starvation is thought to be the main cause of mortality. |
| It strikes most often at nestlings, at inexperienced young birds leaving the place they hatched, and in severe winter weather. | It 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) |
| Many barn owls are hit by cars, lorries and trains, and some fly into overhead wires or drown in cattle troughs. | many are hit by cars, lorries, and trains. Some fly into overhead wires, or drown in cattle troughs |
| ignoring first-year deaths, a Swiss study found an average life expectancy of 4 years | However, a study in Switzerland showed that, if first-year deaths are ignored, the average life expectancy is 4 years. |
| Most 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. | Because 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') |
| Birds that survive their first year do much better: a Swiss study found that, ignoring first-year deaths, the average life expectancy is 4 years. | Because 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) |

## Barn owl (Tyto alba). Woodland Trust.

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/animals/birds/barn-owl/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| heart-faced | With bright white feathers and a distinctive heart-shaped face, there’s no mistaking the barn owl. |
| is completely silent on the wing | Barn owls are completely silent when on the wing. |
| Open countryside, grassland and farmland | Habitat: open countryside, roadside verges, farmland ... scouring open grassland for small mammals |
| Voles, mice, shrews and rats | Diet: small mammals including mice, shrews, rats and voles |
| Barn owls are completely silent on the wing, and they use that stealth to sneak up on prey. | Barn owls are completely silent when on the wing. ... They use their stealth to sneak up on prey. |
| brings up the bones and fur as an owl pellet | Barn owls swallow their food whole, regurgitating bone and fur as owl pellets. |
| In Britain, barn owls live in open countryside and farmland and are often seen on roadside verges. | Barn owls are distributed across Great Britain and Ireland. They live in open countryside and farmland, and can often be seen on roadside verges. |
| tags: grassland | Barn owls are avid hunters, scouring open grassland for small mammals such as voles, mice, shrews and rats. |
| tags: agricultural | They live in open countryside and farmland, and can often be seen on roadside verges. |
| for a hunter that is completely silent on the wing | Barn owls are completely silent when on the wing. |

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

https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.54.3.535

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| in tests, found prey in total darkness by sound alone with an error of under one degree | Barn 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) |
| In tests, it found prey in total darkness by sound alone with an error of under one degree. | Barn 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) |
| Its two external ears are asymmetric | correlated with the asymmetry of the barn owl’s external ears |
| a flap of skin in front of each ear opening can redirect where that ear is most sensitive | Movements 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') |
| In 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. | Barn 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) |
| Owls trained to strike a hidden loudspeaker depended on sounds above 5 kHz. | Experiments with owls trained to strike a concealed loudspeaker show that they depend on frequencies of sound above 5 kHz. |
| Above 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. | for 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') |
| Moving a flap of skin in front of each ear opening redirects where that ear is most sensitive. | Movements 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 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 | A 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') |
| In 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. | Barn 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) |
| Owls trained to strike a hidden loudspeaker depended on sounds above 5 kHz. | Experiments with owls trained to strike a concealed loudspeaker show that they depend on frequencies of sound above 5 kHz. |
| Above 8.5 kHz each ear is highly directional, and the two asymmetric ears are most sensitive in different directions. | for 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') |
| A flap of skin in front of each ear opening can redirect that sensitivity. | Movements 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 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. | A 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 (note: 'loudest' renders 'intensity ... brought to a maximum'; 'may' keeps the source's 'might') |
| in tests, found prey in total darkness by sound alone | Barn 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. |

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

https://doi.org/10.1111/bij.12824

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| across Europe and Africa | T. alba (Africa, Europe) |
| the Eastern Barn Owl of South and Southeast Asia and Australasia | the 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) |
| lives in Africa and Europe | T. alba (Africa, Europe) |
| The 2016 study proposed treating the three as separate species. | We 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) |
| A 2016 genetic study proposed that it is not. | We 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)) |
| It 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 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). |

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

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2018.03.013

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The study predates the three-way division described below, when Tyto alba still meant barn owls worldwide. | We confirm that the Common Barn Owl, Tyto alba is divided into three main evolutionary units (note: 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) |
| Genetic studies in 2016 and 2018 found that the old, worldwide "barn owl" is really three lineages | We 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. javanica (note: years are the references' own metadata; 'lineages' renders 'evolutionary units') |
| the 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 | We 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. javanica (note: South/Southeast Asia and Australasia range is aliabadian-2016) |
| A 2018 study confirmed the same three-way division, calling them the Western, American and Eastern Barn Owls. | We 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. javanica (note: 2018 is the reference's year) |

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

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2025-2.rlts.t22688504a280909370.en

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