barn owl

American  

noun

1. a yellowish-brown and white owl, Tyto alba, often inhabiting barns and other buildings.

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barn owl British  

noun

1. any owl of the genus Tyto , esp T. alba , having a pale brown and white plumage, long slender legs, and a heart-shaped face: family Tytonidae

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Etymology

Origin of barn owl

First recorded in 1665–75

Example Sentences

"The piece of its upper arm bone that we have is about 4 inches long, so the entire dinosaur probably had something like a four-foot wingspan, around the size of a barn owl."

From Science Daily • Jun. 23, 2026

Bird experts say they have found the oldest barn owl ever recorded in Britain and Ireland.

From BBC • Jul. 17, 2025

For those who struggle to tell a bushtit from a barn owl, the team has assembled resources to help distinguish between common local species and can answer individual questions via email.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2025

Juliet, a barn owl, lands on the arm of the best man at a wedding in England this spring.

From New York Times • Jun. 5, 2024

It was about ten feet long, glistening gray, with a painting of a barn owl above an olive tree.

From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan