Tyto alba
Caroline Legg · Dumfries and Galloway
Identification
It is a medium-sized, light-colored owl. It has a heart-shaped face and dark eyes, but no tufts of feathers near its ears. Its sharp call can also help you recognize it.
This bird is about 33–39 cm long, with a wingspan of about 80–95 cm. It often weighs about 250–350 g, though birds in some groups within the species are heavier. Females are usually slightly heavier than males. Its head is round and smooth, with no ear-like tufts of feathers. The feathers around its face form a heart shape and are usually pale. Its eyes are dark, and its beak is short and hooked. It has long legs and a short, almost square tail. In flight, it looks pale, holds its legs down and follows a gently undulating path.
The upper side ranges from gray-brown to brownish beige, with small spots. The underside ranges from white to beige, sometimes with dark dots. Color varies, so color alone is not a reliable way to identify the subspecies.
At night, Strix aluco can look very pale from below in car headlights, making it easy to mistake for the western barn owl. The western barn owl has a white, heart-shaped face; Strix aluco has a round, brown or gray face. The western barn owl flies slowly back and forth over an open field, while Strix aluco often flies straight between trees.
If you hear the sharp cry of a light-colored owl at night in a rural lowland area, look for a heart-shaped face and dark eyes. Do not catch the bird.
In Georgia, the western barn owl is found mainly in lowland farming areas. Its nesting was confirmed in 2025 in Abkhazia, Adjara, Imereti, Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli and Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti. This does not mean it nests throughout these regions. It often nests in cavities in old houses and churches and hunts in nearby open areas.
The western barn owl map uses public iNaturalist photo observations in Georgia. Regions come from the records-by-region table: only confirmed status counts as distribution; otherwise a region is not treated as part of the range. Some place names on individual observations do not match the coordinate, and a mismatched label does not confirm that named region. Record counts reflect observation effort, not population density.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
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The western barn owl regurgitates undigested parts of its food in clumps. Studying these clumps reveals what it ate. Of the prey found in clumps collected in Georgia, 98.6% were small mammals. By number, about half were rodents and almost as many were shrews. Rodents made up the larger share by weight. In some places, shrews were more common. Birds and other animals were rarely found.
Related guides
Questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Western barn owl.
Yes. The western barn owl is found in Georgia year-round and nests there. In recent decades, it has spread into rural lowland areas.
It is found mostly in rural lowland areas, especially near old buildings and open spaces. Its nesting was described in 2025 in Abkhazia, Adjara, Imereti, Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli and Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti.
This owl has a pale, heart-shaped face and dark eyes. Its belly is pale, and its legs are long. It has no ear-like feather tufts on its head. At night, its sharp cry can be heard rather than the deep “hoo-hoo” heard in the forest. The common owl is darker and has a rounder face.
Its length is about 33–39 cm, and its wingspan is about 80–95 cm.
It mainly eats small mammals. Of the prey counted in regurgitated remains studied in 2023–2025, 98.6% were mammals. Rodents made up the largest share by total weight, and shrews were also common. Birds and other prey were rare.
According to the 2024 list, it can be found year-round. It is easiest to hear at night or see at dusk near the building where it nests and rests.
Yes. It nests in Georgia, often in cavities in old houses and churches.
It is not usually dangerous to people, but it may attack in self-defense near its nest. Do not approach or catch the bird. It is listed as threatened with extinction in Georgia’s official 2014 Red List.
References
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
