Barn owls, members of the family Tytonidae, are unmistakable nocturnal birds of prey.Their ghostly appearance and blood-curdling shriek have led College to their incorporation into folklore and myth and have earned these birds a variety of nicknames, including "ghost owl" and "monkey-faced owl." Thirty-six subspecies have been identified worldwide.The subspecies that lives in North America is Chisels called Tyto alba pratincola.
This document is WEC 185, one of a series of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, UF/IFAS Extension.Original publication date September 2005.WEC 185/UW216: Barn Owl (Tyto alba) (ufl.edu).