American Barn Owl vs Sooty Owl

American Barn Owl

Tyto furcata

The American barn owl is a medium-sized, pale-coloured owl with long wings and a short, squarish tail. However, the largest-bodied race of barn owl, T. f. furcata from Cuba and Jamaica, is also an island race, albeit being found on more sizeable islands with larger prey and few larger owls competing for dietary resources. The shape of the tail is a means of distinguishing the barn owl from typical owls when seen in the air. Other distinguishing features are the undulating flight pattern and the dangling, feathered legs.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recorded by Alexandra Liberato · Call · Bogotá, Bogotá, Colombia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Sam Kieschnick · Public domain

Sooty Owl

Tyto tenebricosa

Large661 gForest

Greater sooty owls have a finely white spotted head with scattered white spots on the wings. The females are lighter colored than the males. They appear to be the heaviest of the living species in the barn owl family, however the Tasmanian subspecies of the Australian masked owl is larger still. The females' length is 41 to 50 cm (16 to 20 in) and weighs 750 to 1,200 g (1.65 to 2.65 lb). The smaller male has a length of 37 to 43 cm (15 to 17 in) and weighs 500 to 700 g (1.1 to 1.5 lb). The wing length is 30–40 cm. The large dark eyes are set in a round large facial disk.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Zara · CC BY 4.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: American Barn Owl and Sooty Owl.