Barn Owl facts: the other kind of owl | Animal Fact Files

The common name "barn owl" may be in reference to a single species, but it can also describe the group of approximately twenty living species in the barn owl family. The barn owl family includes any owls not classified as "true" owls and they all have heart-shaped faces. There are sooty owls, masked owls, grass owls, and bay owls in the barn owl family. These owls have longer and lower positioned beaks along with their fancy faces. Barn owls are found on nearly every continent making them a cosmopolitan group of birds!