barn owl

{{Short description|Common cosmopolitan owl genus}}

{{Other uses}}

The barn owls, owls in the genus Tyto, are the most widely distributed genus of owls in the world. They are medium-sized owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful talons. The term may be used to describe:

• The whole family Tytonidae, though this also includes the bay owls in the genus Phodilus
• Tyto, the largest genus of birds in Tytonidae, and particularly these species in that genus:
• Three species that are sometimes considered to be a single species known as barn owl or common barn owl:
• Western barn owl Tyto alba, from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East
• American barn owl Tyto furcata, from the Americas
• Eastern barn owl Tyto javanica, from southeast Asia and Australasia
• Andaman masked owl Tyto deroepstorffi endemic to the southern Andaman Islands
• New Caledonian barn owl Tyto letocarti, extinct, from the island of New Caledonia in Melanesia