Barn Owl vs European Bee-eater
Tyto alba comparé à Merops apiaster
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribut | Barn Owl | European Bee-eater |
|---|---|---|
| Nom scientifique | Tyto alba | Merops apiaster |
| Ordre | Strigiformes | Coraciiformes |
| Famille | Tytonidae | Meropidae |
| Statut de conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Longueur | 35,0 cm (13.8 in) | 28,0 cm (11.0 in) |
| Envergure | 90,0 cm (35.4 in) | 38,0 cm (15.0 in) |
| Poids | 350,0 g (12.35 oz) | 56,0 g (1.98 oz) |
| Régime alimentaire | Almost exclusively small mammals, especially voles and mice. Hunts using extraordinary hearing to locate prey … | Primarily bees, wasps, and hornets caught in flight. Removes stingers by beating prey against a … |
| Taille de la couvée | 2-16 | 4-10 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Habitats partagés
Barn Owl only
European Bee-eater only
Aucun(e)
Barn Owl
Open farmland, grasslands, and marshes. Nests in barns, church steeples, tree cavities, and purpose-built nest boxes.
European Bee-eater
Open country with scattered trees, sandy banks, and river cliffs for nesting. Breeds in colonies in tunnels dug into earth banks.
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.
European Bee-eater
A liquid, melodic 'pruik-pruik' or rolling 'prruup-pruup' in flight. Flocks give a distinctive far-carrying bubbling call audible before birds are seen. Considered a pleasant sound.
Geographic Range & Migration
Barn Owl
The most widespread owl and one of the most widespread land birds, found on every continent except Antarctica.
European Bee-eater
Southern Europe, North Africa, and western Asia. Winters in tropical Africa. A long-distance migrant.
Statut de conservation
Barn Owl
European Bee-eater
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
European Bee-eater
Richly colored with a chestnut-brown crown and back, golden-yellow scapulars, turquoise-blue underparts, and a black eye stripe. Central tail feathers are elongated.
Long, slender, slightly decurved black bill
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.
European Bee-eater
The European bee-eater is one of the most colorful birds in Europe, displaying a rainbow palette of chestnut, gold, and turquoise. True to their name, bee-eaters specialize in catching venomous insects, skillfully removing the stinger before consumption. They nest in colonies, excavating tunnel burrows up to two meters into sandy banks.