barn owl

The barn-owl family can be distinguished from other owl groups by its heart-shaped face, relatively small eyes, and long slender legs. The long, hooked beak is usually concealed by feathers. All barn-owls are hunters by night.

Owl Tyto alba, family Tytonidae, order Strigiformes, found worldwide, except for parts of Asia. The colour of the plumage varies, but the upper parts are commonly tawny buff mottled with grey, white, and brown, and the undersurface is whitish, or sometimes yellowish, with grey spots. The face is white and the bill yellow, and a heart-shaped pattern of feathers is formed round the eyes and beak. The legs are long and covered with downy feathers. The eggs, which in all owls are white, are laid in barns, church towers, and other buildings, as well as in hollow trees.