Tytonidae
Sign in to saveThe bird family Tytonidae, which includes the barn owls Tyto and the bay owls Phodilus, is one of the two families of owls, the other being the true owls or typical owls, Strigidae. Tytonidae are medium to large owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful talons. Tytonidae also differ from the Strigidae in structural details relating in particular to the sternum and feet.
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Tytonidae is a family of owls that includes barn owls and bay owls, distinguished by their medium to large size, large heads, and distinctive heart-shaped faces along with long, powerful legs and talons. This family represents one of two main groups of owls and differs from the other owl family (Strigidae) in structural features like the sternum and feet.
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Taxonomy · GBIF
FAMILY
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassAves
- OrderStrigiformes
- FamilyTytonidae
via GBIF · CC0
Article
21 sectionsContents
- Taxonomy and systematics
- Extant genera
- Genus ''Tyto''
- Genus ''Phodilus''
- Extinct genera
- Placement unresolved
- Former genera
- Description
- Distribution
- Behaviour and ecology
- Hunting and feeding
- Breeding
- Moulting
- Predators and parasites
- Lifespan
- Status and conservation
- Cultural aspects
- References
- Bibliography
- Further reading
- External links
The bird family Tytonidae, which includes the barn owls Tyto and the bay owls Phodilus, is one of the two families of owls, the other being the true owls or typical owls, Strigidae. Tytonidae are medium to large owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful talons. Tytonidae also differ from the Strigidae in structural details relating in particular to the sternum and feet.
The family is wide-ranging, although they are not very tolerant of severe winter cold, so are absent from northern areas of Europe, Asia, and North America; they are also absent from driest desert regions. They live in a wide range of habitats from semi-deserts to forests, and from temperate latitudes to the tropics. Within these habitats, they live near agricultural areas with high amounts of human activity. The majority of the 20 living species of barn owls are poorly known. Some, like the red owl, have barely been seen or studied since their discovery, in contrast to the western barn owl Tyto alba, which is one of the best-known owl species in the world. However, some subspecies of the western barn owl possibly deserve to be separate species, but are very poorly known.