Tytonidae - Barn Owls, Masked Owls, Grass Owls

There are 16 species of owl in this family. They are found in most parts of the world, except for Antarctica. They live in a variety of habitats including forests, grasslands, and deserts.

The owls in this family have heart-shaped faces; long, flattened bills; long wings; long, rounded tails; and long legs with powerful talons. Their eyes are smaller than the eyes of the owls in the Strigidae family.

The barn owl is the only species in this family found in the United States. The ashy-faced owl, which was once though to be a barn owl subspecies, is found in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Tytonidae Photo Gallery

World Status Key
Least Concern Near Threatened Vulnerable Endangered Critically Endangered Extinct in Wild Extinct Not Enough Data
Status and range is taken from ICUN Redlist.

U.S. Status Key Threatened in US Endangered in US Status taken from US Fish and Wildlife Click on U.S. status icon to go to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife species profile.

New Hampshire Status Key Threatened in NH Endangered in NH Introduced Status taken from NH Fish and Game

Location Key
Africa Asia Australia/Oceania Europe North America South America NH Click for More Info Click for Image

New Hampshire Species		North/Central American Species
None		Barn Owl -  Tyto alba   Ashy-faced Owl -  Tyto glaucops

Other Species Around the World
Sri Lanka Bay-owl - Phodilus assimilis Oriental Bay-owl - Phodilus badius Congo Bay-owl - Phodilus prigoginei   Seram Masked-owl - Tyto Almae Golden Masked-owl - Tyto aurantia African Grass-owl - Tyto capensis   Minahasa Golden Owl - Tyto inexspectata		Eastern Grass-owl -  Tyto longimembris   Lesser Sooty Owl - Tyto multipunctata Taliabu Masked-owl -  Tyto nigrobrunnea   Australian Masked-owl - Tyto novaehollandiae Sulawesi Masked-owl - Tyto rosenbergii   Madagascar Red Owl - Tyto soumagnei   Greater Sooty Owl -  Tyto tenebricosa

  Additional Information

Key: Profile Photos Video Audio

Barn Owl -  Tyto alba  
The barn owl is found from British Columbia , North Dakota, Michigan, and southern New England south to South America. It is also found in Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: No

Barn Owl -  Tyto alba  
Most of the barn owl's diet is made up of rodents, especially voles.
Source: National Audubon Society Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: No

Barn Owl -  Tyto alba  
Barn owls are nocturnal.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: No

Barn Owl -  Tyto alba  
Barn owls are nocturnal.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: No

Barn Owl -  Tyto alba  
Barn owls do not hoot.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: Yes

Ashy-faced Owl -  Tyto glaucops
The ashy-face owl is found in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Neotropical Birds Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: No

Ashy-faced Owl -  Tyto glaucops
The ashy-face owl preys on small mammals and birds. It also eats reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates.
Source: HBW Alive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: No

Sri Lanka Bay-owl - Phodilus assimilis
The Sri Lanka bay-owl is found in India and Sri Lanka.
Source: HBW Alive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: No

Oriental Bay-owl - Phodilus badius
The oriental bay-owl is found in Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Source: HBW Alive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: No

Oriental Bay-owl - Phodilus badius
The oriental bay-owl has long, feathered legs.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: Yes

Congo Bay-owl - Phodilus prigoginei  
The Congo bay-owl is found in The Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Source: HBW Alive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: No

Congo Bay-owl - Phodilus prigoginei  
The Congo bay-owl is also known as the African bay-owl.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: Yes

Seram Masked-owl - Tyto Almae
The Seram bay-owl is found in Indonesia.
Source: HBW Alive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: No

Golden Masked-owl - Tyto aurantia
The golden masked-owl is found in Indonesia.
Source: HBW Alive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: No

African Grass-owl - Tyto capensis  
The African grass-owl is found in Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Source: HBW Alive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: No

African Grass-owl - Tyto capensis  
The African grass-owl is usually found near bodies of water and unlike most owls, roosts on the ground in tall grass.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: No

Minahasa Golden Owl - Tyto inexspectata  
The Minahasa golden owl is found in Indonesia.
Source: HBW Alive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: No

Eastern Grass-owl -  Tyto longimembris  
The eastern grass owl is found in Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Source: HBW Alive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: No

Eastern Grass-owl -  Tyto longimembris  
The eastern grass owl is found in habitats with tall grass.
Source: NSW Office of Environment & Heritage Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: No

Lesser Sooty Owl - Tyto multipunctata
The lesser sooty owl is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.
Source: HBW Alive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: No

Taliabu Masked-owl - Tyto nigrobrunnea  
The Taliabu masked-owl is found in Indonesia.
Source: HBW Alive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: No

Australian Masked-owl - Tyto novaehollandiae
The Australian Masked-owl is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.
Source: HBW Alive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: No

Australian Masked-owl - Tyto novaehollandiae
The Australian Masked-owl is found is usually found in forests or forest edges.
Source: NSW Office of Environment & Heritage Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: No

Sulawesi Masked-owl - Tyto rosenbergii  
The Sulawesi masked-owl is found in Indonesia.
Source: HBW Alive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: No

Madagascar Red Owl - Tyto soumagnei  
The Madagascar red owl is found in Madagascar.
Source: HBW Alive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: No

Madagascar Red Owl - Tyto soumagnei  
The Madagascar red owl's call sounds like a hiss.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: Yes

Madagascar Red Owl - Tyto soumagnei  
The Madagascar red owl is nocturnal.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: No

Greater Sooty Owl -  Tyto tenebricosa  
The greater sooty owl is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.
Source: HBW Alive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: No

Greater Sooty Owl -  Tyto tenebricosa  
The greater sooty owl is nocturnal.
Source: NSW Office of Environment & Heritage Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Teacher Section: No