Barn Owls are everywhere! The Barnie is the most widely distributed owl in the world, found on all continents but Antarctica. They’ve even recently made it to New Zealand, possibly from hopping aboard ships or airplanes.

They are medium owls, primarily white, but come in a number of different patterns, have a very distinct heart shaped face, and the scream of a banshee. Whether it reminds you of an angel or a ghost, it is otherworldly and unforgettable regardless.

Barn owls have great hearing, even for owls, and we’re involved in famous studies about owl hearing and how they can hunt in complete darkness.

White it’s found its way almost everywhere, will it find your upvote today?

While the Mottled Wood Owl may be unfamiliar to a lot of you, once you see it, it’s hard to forget. It is a large owl of India and Nepal with a wild mottled and wavy plumage.

In some parts of India, it is thought to be a bad omen, and it’s haunting call gets it the name “fowl of death.” If you ask me, some more data is needed before I’m convinced of its danger to humans. More typically it hunts larger insects, rodents, birds, crabs, and lizards.

Is this owl your kind of wild and strange? If it is, show it your support now!

#owloftheyear2025 #superbowl

  • pseudo
    2·
    3 days ago

    I have an issue translating this name for my family. Are these eastern barn owls (Tyto javanica), american barn owls (Tyto furcata), western barn owls (Tyto alba) or any of the three?

    • anon6789@lemmy.worldOP
      3·
      3 days ago

      This one I play a little loose. It is all the species of barn owl (no grass owl, marsh owls, bay owls, masked owls). With species and subspecies getting reclassified due to modern genetic testing and then the official names taking years to reflect new data, that’s above the technical level for us here. 😀

      This is actually going on with just about every owl in here. Even something like GHO/Gran Duc, where there are 15 subspecies. That’s just a level of granularity where it becomes a job rather than something for fun.

      • pseudo
        2·
        3 days ago

        that’s above the technical level for us here

        You’re right. I was overcomplicating things because I found a english wikipedia page for barn owls but not the same in french wikipédia. Yet, all barn owl mention in this page have a french wikipédia page where are named the “effraie of something”. So “la chouette effraie” is a good global translation for the broad barn of category.

        • anon6789@lemmy.worldOP
          2·
          3 days ago

          Barn owls look to have so many French names, even though you only have Tyto alba, I think it is.

          Effraie means “scares”? When I search it,. It just shows more Barn Owl stuff than translations.

          In French, this owl is called “l’Effraie des clochers” or “chouette effraie” or even, “dame blanche”, meaning white lady. In English, the Barn Owl has also often been called by names related to its color or habitat: white owl, ghost owl, and church owl. (Source)

          • pseudo
            2·
            2 days ago

            I’ve checked. The origin is orfraie (who break bones) but it got altered on the model of effrayer (to scare) because of the superstition. It was nail down on the door of bell towers :-(

          • pseudo
            2·
            2 days ago

            “Effraie” means “scared” indeed but I’m not sure the name of the bird come from there.

          • leftascenter
            2·
            3 days ago

            Effraie means “scares”?

            Yes

            In French, this owl is called “l’Effraie des clochers” or “chouette effraie” or even, “dame blanche”,

            More often chouette effraie, and modern use of dame Blanche may refer to white powder to use up your nose.

            • anon6789@lemmy.worldOP
              1·
              3 days ago

              So it basically means “scary owl”? And now they’re a drugs reference as well? Poor things! 😟

              Church bell owl sounds much nicer.

              • leftascenter
                2·
                2 days ago

                Scary owl yes, because its cry is considered scary.

                Dame blanche translates as “white lady” for all it’s worth.