Barn Owl vs Belted Kingfisher

Tyto alba comparé à Megaceryle alcyon

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribut Barn Owl Belted Kingfisher
Nom scientifique Tyto alba Megaceryle alcyon
Ordre Strigiformes Coraciiformes
Famille Tytonidae Alcedinidae
Statut de conservation Least Concern Least Concern
Longueur 35,0 cm (13.8 in) 33,0 cm (13.0 in)
Envergure 90,0 cm (35.4 in) 53,0 cm (20.9 in)
Poids 350,0 g (12.35 oz) 150,0 g (5.29 oz)
Régime alimentaire Almost exclusively small mammals, especially voles and mice. Hunts using extraordinary hearing to locate prey … Primarily small fish caught by plunge-diving from a perch or hover. Also takes crayfish, frogs, …
Taille de la couvée 2-16 6-7
Population Trend
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Size Comparison

Body Length
Barn Owl 35,0 cm
Belted Kingfisher 33,0 cm
Envergure
Barn Owl 90,0 cm
Belted Kingfisher 53,0 cm
Poids
Barn Owl 350,0 g
Belted Kingfisher 150,0 g
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Habitat Comparison

Habitats partagés

Barn Owl only

Belted Kingfisher only

Aucun(e)

Barn Owl

Open farmland, grasslands, and marshes. Nests in barns, church steeples, tree cavities, and purpose-built nest boxes.

Belted Kingfisher

Rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, estuaries, and coastlines with clear water and suitable perches. Nests in burrows dug into earthen banks.

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Song & Call Comparison

Barn Owl

Chant

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.

Belted Kingfisher

Chant

A loud, rattling 'klee-klee-klee-klee' — mechanical and penetrating. Given in flight along rivers. Also a harsh 'kekekek' near nest. Far louder than Common Kingfisher.

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Geographic Range & Migration

Barn Owl

The most widespread owl and one of the most widespread land birds, found on every continent except Antarctica.

Belted Kingfisher

North America from Alaska and Canada to Central America and the Caribbean. Northern populations migrate south in winter.

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Statut de conservation

Least Concern

Barn Owl

Least Concern

Belted Kingfisher

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How to Tell Them Apart

Barn Owl

Plumage

Pale golden-buff upperparts with delicate grey mottling. Pure white heart-shaped face and white to pale buff underparts. Ghostly white appearance in flight.

Bec

Pale pinkish hooked bill nearly concealed by the facial disc

Belted Kingfisher

Plumage

Blue-grey upperparts with a shaggy crest and a white collar. Males have a single blue-grey breast band; females have an additional rufous belly band.

Bec

Long, heavy, straight, dark dagger-like bill

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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.

Belted Kingfisher

The belted kingfisher is unusual in that the female is more colorful than the male, sporting an additional rufous belly band. These noisy birds announce their territory with a distinctive rattling call. They excavate nesting burrows up to 2.4 meters deep into riverbanks using their heavy bills.

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