American Barn Owl perched on a kestrel nest box on top of Goose Egg Island, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah

American Barn Owl Images, Facts and Information:

Tyto furcata – used to be Tyto alba

  • American Barn Owls are medium sized, secretive, nocturnal owls with dark eyes and white to tawny feathers.
  • American Barn Owls breed from northwestern to northeastern U.S. south to Mexico and are year round residents in all but the very northern most areas of their range.
  • American Barn Owls are declining in parts of their range due to habitat loss. In some Midwestern states they are endangered due to modern farming practices.
  • American Barn Owls provide excellent rodent control and having them locally should be encouraged. Do not use rodenticides when there are owls, it can kill them.
  • American Barn Owls eat small mammals including mice, rats, voles, lemmings and shrews, they also eat bats, rabbits and birds.
  • Some research studies indicate that they eat twice as much prey as other owls for their weight.
  • They lay between 2 to 18 eggs and the incubation period is 29 – 34 days,  The female incubates.
  • American Barn Owls will nest in human structures including nest boxes, barns, old abandoned buildings and hay stacks. Natural nesting sites include holes in trees, caves, cliffs and crevices.
  • American Barn Owls have many nicknames which include monkey-faced owl, silver owl, white owl, delicate owl, golden owl, steeple owl, straw owl, barnyard owl, church owl, night owl, ghost owl, hobgoblin owl, screech owl, and death owl.
  • American Barn Owls can live up to 15 years.

I hope you enjoy viewing my American Barn Owl photos.

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