AnimalsThe barn owl has a pale, heart-shaped face that works like a dish to collect sound. It can catch mice in total darkness by hearing alone, and its soft feathers let it fly almost silently.
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Tyto alba
- Group
- Birds
- Diet
- Carnivore (eats other animals)
- Lives in
- Almost worldwide
- Habitat
- Farmland, grassland and old buildings
- A young one is called
- owlet
- A group is called
- parliament
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
How it is classified
Scientists sort living things into groups within groups. Reading down, each step is a smaller group, ending with the species itself.
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Class Aves
- Order Strigiformes
- Family Tytonidae
- Genus Tyto
- Species Tyto alba
Classification follows the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Other reference works arrange some groups differently. How classification works.
Is it in danger?
The barn owl is listed as Least Concern. The species is widespread or numerous enough that it is not considered at risk of extinction at present.
This is the IUCN Red List category as recorded in Wikidata on 11 November 2026. The IUCN Red List itself is the authority and may carry a newer assessment. What the categories mean.