Barn Owl vs Mandarin Duck
Tyto alba comparé à Aix galericulata
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribut | Barn Owl | Mandarin Duck |
|---|---|---|
| Nom scientifique | Tyto alba | Aix galericulata |
| Ordre | Strigiformes | Anseriformes |
| Famille | Tytonidae | Anatidae |
| Statut de conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Longueur | 35,0 cm (13.8 in) | 44,0 cm (17.3 in) |
| Envergure | 90,0 cm (35.4 in) | 70,0 cm (27.6 in) |
| Poids | 350,0 g (12.35 oz) | 570,0 g (20.11 oz) |
| Régime alimentaire | Almost exclusively small mammals, especially voles and mice. Hunts using extraordinary hearing to locate prey … | Seeds, acorns, grains, aquatic plants, insects, snails, and small fish. Forages by dabbling, walking, and … |
| Taille de la couvée | 2-16 | 7-14 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Barn Owl only
Mandarin Duck only
Aucun(e)
Barn Owl
Open farmland, grasslands, and marshes. Nests in barns, church steeples, tree cavities, and purpose-built nest boxes.
Mandarin Duck
Wooded lakes, rivers, and ponds surrounded by dense forest. Unlike most ducks, regularly perches in trees and nests in tree cavities.
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.
Mandarin Duck
Male gives a low whistled 'hib' or 'weep'. Female utters a soft quacking 'kek'. Generally quiet and secretive. No loud territorial song; vocalizations subtle and brief.
Geographic Range & Migration
Barn Owl
The most widespread owl and one of the most widespread land birds, found on every continent except Antarctica.
Mandarin Duck
Native to East Asia including eastern Russia, China, Japan, and Korea. Feral populations established in Britain and western Europe.
Statut de conservation
Barn Owl
Mandarin Duck
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
Mandarin Duck
Breeding males have an elaborate pattern of orange, green, white, and purple with distinctive orange sail feathers on the back. Females are grey-brown with a white eye-ring and stripe.
Small red bill in breeding males, pinkish in females
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.
Mandarin Duck
The mandarin duck is widely considered the most beautiful duck in the world. In East Asian culture, mandarin ducks symbolize love and fidelity because they form strong pair bonds. Unlike most ducks, mandarins nest in tree holes up to 9 meters above the ground, and day-old ducklings must leap to the ground.