Tyto alba (Western Barn Owl)

Western Barn Owl

Tyto alba (Scopoli, GA 1769)

The barn owl is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds, being found almost everywhere in the world except for the polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himalayas, most of Indonesia, and some Pacific Islands. It is also known as the common barn owl, to distinguish it from the other species in its family, Tytonidae, which forms one of the two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical owls (Strigidae). Source: Wikipedia

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Classification

Order:
  Strigiformes
Family:
  Tytonidae
Genus:
   Tyto
Scientific:
  Tyto alba

Original description

Citation:
(Scopoli, GA 1769)

Reference:
Annus I Hist.-Nat.

Protonym:
Strix alba

Type locality:
'Ex Foro Juli' = Friuli, Italy.

Link:
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/97453#page/25/mode/1up

Avibase identifiers

Avibase ID:
CFD6F2750CBB4D94

Avibase ID:
avibase-CFD6F275

Short link:
https://avibase.ca/CFD6F275

Taxonomic Serial Number:
TSN: 177851

English:
Western Barn Owl
Afrikaans:
Nonnetjie-uil
Arabic:
الهامة
Azerbaijani:
Adi alabayquş
Bulgarian:
Забулена сова
Bengali:
লক্ষ্মী প্যাঁচা
Catalan:
òliba
Czech:
sova pálená
Danish:
Slørugle
German:
Schleiereule
Greek:
Τυτώ
Esperanto:
ordinara turstrigo
Spanish:
Lechuza común
Spanish (Spain):
Lechuza común occidental
Estonian:
loorkakk
Basque:
Hontza zuria
Persian:
جغد انبار
Finnish:
tornipöllö
French:
Effraie des clochers
Hebrew:
תנשמת
Croatian:
Kukuvija
Hungarian:
gyöngybagoly
Indonesian:
Burung Serak Jawa
Icelandic:
Turnugla
Italian:
Barbagianni
Japanese (romaji):
men-fukurō
Japanese:
メンフクロウ
Lithuanian:
paprastoji liepsnotoji pelėda
Latvian:
plīvurpūce
Nepali:
गोठे लाटोकोसेरो
Dutch:
Kerkuil
Norwegian:
Tårnugle
Polish:
płomykówka (zwyczajna)
Portuguese:
coruja-da-igreja / coruja-das-torres
Portuguese (Brazil):
Coruja-da-igreja
Portuguese (Portugal):
coruja-das-torres-ocidental
Romanian:
Striga
Russian:
Сипуха
Slovak:
plamienka driemavá
Slovenian:
pegasta sova
Serbian:
kukuvija obična
Swedish:
tornuggla
Thai:
นกแสก
Turkish:
Peçeli Baykuş
Ukrainian:
сипуха крапчаста
Chinese:
西方仓鸮
Chinese (Traditional):
倉鴞

Authorities recognizing this taxonomic concept:

Avibase taxonomic concepts (current): Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 2023 (May 2023): Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 2024 (Oct 2024): Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba) [version 1]
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 2025 (Nov 2025): Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba)
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 06 (Feb 2018): Barn Owl [incl. detorta, excl. stertens, furcata] ( Tyto alba [incl. detorta, excl. stertens, furcata])
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 07 (Feb 2020): Barn Owl [incl. detorta, excl. stertens, furcata] ( Tyto alba [incl. detorta, excl. stertens, furcata])
Avibase taxonomic concepts v. 08 (Feb 2021): Barn Owl [incl. detorta, excl. stertens, furcata] ( Tyto alba [incl. detorta, excl. stertens, furcata])
Avilist 2025: Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba) [version 1]
Clements, version 2024: Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba) [version 6]
Clements, version 2025: Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba)
eBird version 2024: Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba) [version 6]
eBird version 2025: Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba)
IOC World Bird Names, version 7.2: Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba) [version 6]
IOC World Bird Names, version 7.3: Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba) [version 6]
IOC World Bird Names, version 8.1: Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba) [version 6]
IOC World Bird Names, version 8.2: Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba) [version 6]
IOC World Bird Names, version 9.1: Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba) [version 6]
IOC World Bird Names, version 9.2: Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba) [version 6]
IOC World Bird Names, version 10.1: Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba) [version 6]
IOC World Bird Names, version 10.2: Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba) [version 6]
IOC World Bird Names, version 11.1: Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba) [version 6]
IOC World Bird Names, version 11.2: Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba) [version 6]
IOC World Bird Names, version 12.1: Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba) [version 6]
IOC World Bird Names, version 12.2: Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba) [version 6]
IOC World Bird Names, version 13.1: Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba) [version 6]
IOC World Bird Names, version 13.2: Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 14.1: Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 14.2: Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba) [version 1]
IOC World Bird Names, version 15.1: Western Barn Owl ( Tyto alba) [version 1]

Taxonomic status:

Species status: full species (sometimes nominal subspecies)

This taxon is considered a subspecies of Tyto [alba, furcata, javanica] (sensu lato) by some authors

Your sightings

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Related taxa

Alternative arrangements: 3 6 7 1 4 5 2 8

Highlight taxa in a checklist (shown in red)

Other synonyms

See also the taxonomic synonyms table.

Afrikaans: Nonnetjie-uil
Arabic: الهامة
Asturian: Curuxa
Belarusian: Сіпуха
Bulgarian: Забулена сова
Bengali: লক্ষ্মী প্যাঁচা
Breton: Ar gaouenn wenn, Grell voutin
Catalan: òliba, Òliba comuna
Catalan (Balears): Òliba
Creoles and Pidgins, French-based (Other): chawan
Czech: sova pálená
Welsh: Tylluan wen
Danish: Slørugle
German: Schleiereule
Greek: Τυτώ
Greek (Cypriot): Ανθρωποπούλλι
English: Barn Owl [incl. detorta, excl. stertens, furcata], Western Barn Owl
Esperanto: ordinara turstrigo, turstrigo
Spanish: Lechuza común
Spanish (Argentine): Lechuza de campanario
Spanish (Bolivia): Lechuza de campanario
Spanish (Chile): Lechuza
Spanish (Colombia): Lechuza Común
Spanish (Costa Rica): Lechuza ratonera
Spanish (Cuba): Lechuza
Spanish (Dominican Rep.): Lechuza Blanca
Spanish (Honduras): Lechuza
Spanish (Mexico): Lechuza de campanario
Spanish (Peru): Lechuza de Campanario
Spanish (Paraguay): Lechuza de campanario
Spanish (Uruguay): Lechuza de Campanario
Spanish (Venezuela): Lechuza de Campanario
Estonian: loorkakk
Basque: Hontz zuri, Hontza zuria
Persian: جغد انبار
Finnish: tornipöllö
Faroese: Hjartaugla
French: Effraie des clochers, Effraie des clochers [incl. detorta, excl. stertens, furcata]
Frisian: goudûle
Irish: Scréachóg Reilige
Gaelic: Cailleach-Oidhche Gheal, Comhachag bhàn
Galician: Curuxa
Guarani: Suinda
Manx: Caillagh oie, Screeaghag Oie
Haitian Creole French: Frize
Hebrew: תנשמת
Hindi: Chavu kuruvi
Croatian: Kukuvija
Hungarian: gyöngybagoly
Indonesian: Burung Serak Jawa
Icelandic: Turnugla
Italian: Barbagianni
Japanese (romaji): men-fukurō
Japanese: メンフクロウ
Japanese (Kanji): 面梟
Georgian: ბუხრინწა
Cornish: Ula gwyn
Kwangali: Suunsu
Scientific: Strix alba, Strix flammea, Tyto alba, Tyto alba [incl. detorta, excl. stertens, furcata], Tyto alba alba
Luxembourgish: Tuereil, Tuermeil
Lithuanian: Liepsnotoji pelėda, paprastoji liepsnotoji pelėda
Latvian: plīvurpūce
Malagasy: Tararaka
Macedonian: Кукавија, Кукувија
Malayalam: വെള്ളി മൂങ്ങ
Malay: Burung Jampok Kubur
Maltese: Barbaġann
Nepali: गोठे लाटोकोसेरो
Dutch: Kerkuil
Norwegian: Tårnugle
Sotho, Northern: Leribisi
Polish: plomykówka, Płomykówka, płomykówka (zwyczajna)
Pinyin: cāng-xiāo
Portuguese: coruja-da-igreja / coruja-das-torres, Coruja-das-torres
Portuguese (Brazil): Coruja-da-igreja
Portuguese (Portugal): coruja-das-torres-ocidental
Romansh: Tschuetta velada
Rhaeto-Romance: Tschuetta velada
Romanian: Striga, Strigă
Russian: Сипуха
Northern Sami: Toardnaskuolfi
Slovak: plamienka driemavá
Slovenian: pegasta sova
Shona: Zizi
Albanian: Kukuvajka mjekëroshe, Kukuvajka mjekroshe
Serbian: Kukuvija, kukuvija obična
Sotho, Southern: Sephooko
Swedish: tornuggla
Swahili: Bundi Babawatoto
Tamil: Koogai Andhai
Thai: นกแสก
Thai (Transliteration): nók sàeek
Turkmen: peçeli baykuş
Tswana: Lerubise
Turkish: Peçeli Baykuş
Tsonga: Xinkhovha
Ukrainian: Сипуха, Сипуха крапчаста
Vietnamese: Cú lợn lưng xám
Xhosa: Isikhova
Chinese: 仓鸮, 西方仓鸮
Chinese (Traditional): 倉鴞
Zulu: isiKhova