American barn owl in the context of "Tyto"

Play Trivia Questions online!

 or

Skip to study material about American barn owl in the context of "Tyto"
Ad spacer

⭐ Core Definition: American barn owl

The American barn owl (Tyto furcata) is usually considered a subspecies group and together with the western barn owl group, the eastern barn owl group, and sometimes the Andaman masked owl, make up the barn owl, cosmopolitan in range. The barn owl is recognized by most taxonomic authorities. A few (including the International Ornithologists' Union) separate them into distinct species, as is done here. The American barn owl is native to North and South America, and has been introduced to Hawaii.

The ashy-faced owl (T. glaucops) was for some time included in T. alba, and by some authors its populations from the Lesser Antilles still are. Based on DNA evidence, König, Weick & Becking (2009) recognised the American barn owl (T. furcata) and the Curaçao barn owl (T. bargei) as separate species, though the latter is now considered a subspecies of the American barn owl (T. furcata bargei; see #Subspecies, below).

↓ Menu

>>>PUT SHARE BUTTONS HERE<<<

👉 American barn owl in the context of Tyto

Tyto is a genus of owls in the family Tytonidae. Depending on the species and the locality, common names include barn owl, common barn owl, grass owl, sooty owl, masked owl, field owl or simply owl. It is the most widely distributed genus of owls in the world and one of the most widespread of all genera of birds, living almost everywhere except for polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himalayas, some Indonesian islands and some Pacific Islands.

The genus comprises three widespread continental species and many island species including the extinct island species. The widespread species comprise: western barn owl of Europe, western Asia and Africa, the eastern barn owl of Southeast Asia and Australasia, and the American barn owl of the Americas. However, some taxonomic authorities classify barn owls differently, and unify all continental barn owls in to one species. Further research is needed clarify the taxonomies.

↓ Explore More Topics
In this Dossier

American barn owl in the context of Barn owl

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:
      • 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
↑ Return to Menu

American barn owl in the context of Eastern barn owl

The eastern barn owl (Tyto javanica) is usually considered a subspecies group and together with the American barn owl group, the western barn owl group, and sometimes the Andaman masked owl make up the genus Tyto. The cosmopolitan barn owl is recognized by most taxonomic authorities. A few (including the International Ornithologists' Union) separate them into distinct species, as is done here. The eastern barn owl is native to southeastern Asia, New Zealand, and Australasia.

The eastern barn owl is nocturnal over most of its range, but in some Pacific islands, it also hunts by day. They specialise in hunting animals on the ground, and nearly all of their food consists of small mammals which they locate by sound, their hearing being very acute. They mate for life unless one of the pair is killed, after which a new pair bond may be formed. Breeding takes place at varying times of year according to locality, with a clutch, averaging about four eggs, being laid in a nest in a tree hollow, old building or fissure in a cliff. The female does all the incubation, and she and the young chicks are reliant on the male for food. When large numbers of small prey are readily available, barn owl populations can expand rapidly.

↑ Return to Menu
LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Tyto ← Barn owl ← Eastern barn owl ← Barn-owl
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Western barn owl → Eastern barn owl → Andaman masked owl → Tyto → International Ornithologists' Union → Ashy-faced owl → Lesser Antilles → Molecular genetics → Subspecies →