Barn Owl vs Australasian Grass-owl
Tyto alba compared with Tyto longimembris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Barn Owl | Australasian Grass-owl |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Tyto alba | Tyto longimembris |
| Order | Strigiformes | Strigiformes |
| Family | Tytonidae | Tytonidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | 35.0 cm (13.8 in) | — |
| Wingspan | 90.0 cm (35.4 in) | 62.5 cm (24.6 in) |
| Weight | 350.0 g (12.35 oz) | 382.0 g (13.47 oz) |
| Diet | Almost exclusively small mammals, especially voles and mice. Hunts using extraordinary hearing to locate prey … | -- |
| Clutch Size | 2-16 | 3-8 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Barn Owl only
Australasian Grass-owl only
None
Barn Owl
Open farmland, grasslands, and marshes. Nests in barns, church steeples, tree cavities, and purpose-built nest boxes.
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.
Australasian Grass-owl
Geographic Range & Migration
Barn Owl
The most widespread owl and one of the most widespread land birds, found on every continent except Antarctica.
Australasian Grass-owl
Conservation Status
Barn Owl
Australasian Grass-owl
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
Australasian Grass-owl
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.
Australasian Grass-owl
The Australasian Grass-owl is a barn owl relative found in open grasslands and marshes from Australia and New Guinea to parts of Asia. Weighing about 382g with a wingspan of 62.5cm, it has a pale heart-shaped facial disc and long legs suited for hunting through grass. It hunts rodents and other small mammals at night.