Owls
Western Barn Owl
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Tyto alba
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Voice
Call
Call
Song
How to recognize it
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33–35 cm long
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Large heart-shaped facial disc, usually white
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Underparts white in western and southern Europe; yellow-orange elsewhere in Europe, often with dark speckles
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Silent, undulating flight; long, rasping screech, "shree"
About the species
The Western Barn Owl is mostly pale, with a white-to-buff underside and a grey-brown, finely mottled back. Its broad white face forms a heart around dark eyes. Feathers cover its long legs, and its short, square-ended tail is easy to see in flight.
After dusk, it quarters open ground in a wavering, almost silent flight, listening for small animals below. It does not hoot: its call is a drawn-out, piercing "shree" screech, and its sharp hearing can guide a strike even in darkness. By day, it rests in a sheltered hollow or another dark recess.
It hunts over grassland and farmland, often along rough grassy edges or beside scattered woodland, and may nest or roost in a hollow tree or old building. Small mammals make up most of its food, especially voles in much of Europe. It usually stays in one area, though it may move when prey becomes scarce.
Where to find
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Within its range, beyond the city edge, watch over open grassland and pasture at dusk for the Western Barn Owl's silent, wavering flight as it quarters the ground for prey.
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Along rough grass strips beside pasture, check fence posts and branches for a brief lookout stop before a hunt.
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By old farm buildings or church towers, watch the openings around dusk for a quiet departure from a daytime roost.