Barn Owls are everywhere! The Barnie is the most widely distributed owl in the world, found on all continents but Antarctica. They’ve even recently made it to New Zealand, possibly from hopping aboard ships or airplanes.
They are medium owls, primarily white, but come in a number of different patterns, have a very distinct heart shaped face, and the scream of a banshee. Whether it reminds you of an angel or a ghost, it is otherworldly and unforgettable regardless.
Barn owls have great hearing, even for owls, and we’re involved in famous studies about owl hearing and how they can hunt in complete darkness.
White it’s found its way almost everywhere, will it find your upvote today?
While the Mottled Wood Owl may be unfamiliar to a lot of you, once you see it, it’s hard to forget. It is a large owl of India and Nepal with a wild mottled and wavy plumage.
In some parts of India, it is thought to be a bad omen, and it’s haunting call gets it the name “fowl of death.” If you ask me, some more data is needed before I’m convinced of its danger to humans. More typically it hunts larger insects, rodents, birds, crabs, and lizards.
Is this owl your kind of wild and strange? If it is, show it your support now!
#owloftheyear2025 #superbowl
Barn
Toasted marshmallow owl ftw this year. ❤️
It’s been one of my personal favorites this year! What a beauty 😍
I remember dissecting your pellets in biology class, Mr. Barn Owl, sir!
I never got to do the pellet in my class. Now I get to pick them up for free so that’s…something 😅
A number of birds besides owls also make pellets, and I’ve heard many prehistoric species have been discovered thanks to piles of pellets found in caves and other hidey holes that have been sheltered from weather and moisture and sun that would have broken that matter down.
I remember it being fascinating.
And I got to do it twice because my math class was canceled one day and I got to hang out in science on the 2nd day they were dissecting pellets.
I thought about poking through some at work since I pick them up anyway, but I already know what is in there since I feed them. It’s like already knowing the prize in a surprise egg 😜
I have an issue translating this name for my family. Are these eastern barn owls (Tyto javanica), american barn owls (Tyto furcata), western barn owls (Tyto alba) or any of the three?
This one I play a little loose. It is all the species of barn owl (no grass owl, marsh owls, bay owls, masked owls). With species and subspecies getting reclassified due to modern genetic testing and then the official names taking years to reflect new data, that’s above the technical level for us here. 😀
This is actually going on with just about every owl in here. Even something like GHO/Gran Duc, where there are 15 subspecies. That’s just a level of granularity where it becomes a job rather than something for fun.
that’s above the technical level for us here
You’re right. I was overcomplicating things because I found a english wikipedia page for barn owls but not the same in french wikipédia. Yet, all barn owl mention in this page have a french wikipédia page where are named the “effraie of something”. So “la chouette effraie” is a good global translation for the broad barn of category.
Barn owls look to have so many French names, even though you only have Tyto alba, I think it is.
Effraie means “scares”? When I search it,. It just shows more Barn Owl stuff than translations.
In French, this owl is called “l’Effraie des clochers” or “chouette effraie” or even, “dame blanche”, meaning white lady. In English, the Barn Owl has also often been called by names related to its color or habitat: white owl, ghost owl, and church owl. (Source)
I’ve checked. The origin is orfraie (who break bones) but it got altered on the model of effrayer (to scare) because of the superstition. It was nail down on the door of bell towers :-(
Oh my, the early French don’t seem to have been big fans of the Barn Owl!
“Effraie” means “scared” indeed but I’m not sure the name of the bird come from there.
Effraie means “scares”?
Yes
In French, this owl is called “l’Effraie des clochers” or “chouette effraie” or even, “dame blanche”,
More often chouette effraie, and modern use of dame Blanche may refer to white powder to use up your nose.
So it basically means “scary owl”? And now they’re a drugs reference as well? Poor things! 😟
Church bell owl sounds much nicer.
Scary owl yes, because its cry is considered scary.
Dame blanche translates as “white lady” for all it’s worth.
Mottled Wood
This one is pretty metal. I love it
You are beautiful, but I cannot root for you, Mr. Owl
That’s the best part of Owl of the Year, it’s not like they’re gone if they don’t win. If they do well, I know to share more of them though.
I don’t think Mottled passed the qualifier last year, but it’s doing well now, so there will be more in the future.
Holy moly. Barn owl out so soon?!
I know, right!? I was shocked and heartbroken. It was a close one though, so Mottled Wood earned it.
The barn owl is probably my favourite, in Catalan is called òliba but it is known by many names, in the region where I live is also known as xup.
Its name in Spanish is lechuza, and I just realised that the name comes from it’s white colour meaning milky.
I always love hearing their names in other languages to hear how people over the centuries felt about them in their regions.
I hadn’t thought of the relationship between lechuza leche/lechoso in Spanish, but that makes perfect sense.
Anyone who has insight to the etymology in their language, please share! I know a few of the German speakers here have taught me a lot.
Not a good morning for the Spectacled fans! 😔
This early favorite was narrowly ahead all day, but when I came to close the polls, who do I see perched on top of the leaderboard?
BnW takes round 2 by 1 vote!
I try to come off as impartial as I can while still chatting with everyone, but I had thought Speck had a good shot at getting to the final 4.
One never knows where the feathers will fall in Owl of the Year!
Nooooooooooo! Speccy wuz robbed!
I was very surprised! Black and White did well last year, but the handful of you all that comment really seemed pro-Spectacled. Shows some of the problems with early polling and small survey sizes 😁
I’m sad he’s out, not only since I liked the Spectacled, but Black and White pics of high quality are much harder to come by. 😔
Mr Mottle is rather striking!
Barn all day everyday
This one has been staying a very close race. Hang in there, Barnie!
Barn owls are great!
Their color just gives them such a mystical effect in the right lightings.
They are one of the most widely distributed birds in the world, yet I hear so many regions saying the population numbers are down. I was talking Barnies to our clinic director and she said she hasn’t gotten a single one in 16 years on the job.
Thankfully there are groups around the world looking to improve those counts and they are seeing some success. They are splendid animals that deserve to be treasured.
My vote goes to the Fowl of Death, the mottled wood. Lovely plumage.
I know it’s supposed to be pejorative, but I think it’s a great nickname! ☠️
I have been told that, while Barn Owls are good tubes, the Mottled Wood Owl is very pretty, and rhus I am voting for the Wood Owl.
