Barn Owl vs Griffon Vulture
Tyto alba compared with Gyps fulvus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Barn Owl | Griffon Vulture |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Tyto alba | Gyps fulvus |
| Order | Strigiformes | Accipitriformes |
| Family | Tytonidae | Accipitridae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | 35.0 cm (13.8 in) | 100.0 cm (39.4 in) |
| Wingspan | 90.0 cm (35.4 in) | 260.0 cm (102.4 in) |
| Weight | 350.0 g (12.35 oz) | 8500.0 g (299.83 oz) |
| Diet | Almost exclusively small mammals, especially voles and mice. Hunts using extraordinary hearing to locate prey … | Exclusively carrion, primarily large mammal carcasses. Feeds communally, with groups of vultures able to strip … |
| Clutch Size | 2-16 | 1 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Barn Owl only
Griffon Vulture only
Barn Owl
Open farmland, grasslands, and marshes. Nests in barns, church steeples, tree cavities, and purpose-built nest boxes.
Griffon Vulture
Mountains, cliffs, and open grasslands. Nests on cliff ledges in colonies. Requires thermals for soaring flight.
Song & Call Comparison
Barn Owl
An eerie, drawn-out rasping shriek 'shreeeeee' — not a hoot. Also gives hissing, snoring, and bill-snapping when disturbed. Chicks call with a persistent rasping hunger call.
Griffon Vulture
Generally silent; hisses and grunts at carrion with other vultures. Gives low croaking 'arrr' near nest. At colonies produces cackling and grunting — not melodic vocalizations.
Geographic Range & Migration
Barn Owl
The most widespread owl and one of the most widespread land birds, found on every continent except Antarctica.
Griffon Vulture
Southern Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. Resident in most of its range.
Conservation Status
Barn Owl
Griffon Vulture
How to Tell Them Apart
Barn Owl
Pale golden-buff upperparts with delicate grey mottling. Pure white heart-shaped face and white to pale buff underparts. Ghostly white appearance in flight.
Pale pinkish hooked bill nearly concealed by the facial disc
Griffon Vulture
Tawny-brown body with darker flight feathers. White neck ruff and bare greyish head. Long broad wings held flat when soaring.
Hooked yellowish bill adapted for tearing carrion
About These Birds
Barn Owl
The barn owl has the most asymmetrical ears of any owl, giving it the finest auditory localization ability in the animal kingdom. It can catch prey in complete darkness using sound alone. The barn owl's distinctive heart-shaped face acts as a parabolic dish, funneling sound to its offset ears.
Griffon Vulture
The griffon vulture is one of Europe's largest flying birds and a crucial scavenger in Mediterranean ecosystems. These social birds nest in large cliff colonies and can soar for hours using thermals without flapping. Vulture populations faced a crisis from the veterinary drug diclofenac, which proved fatal when consumed through contaminated carcasses.