# Western barn owl (*Tyto alba*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/western-barn-owl  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The western barn owl (Tyto alba) is a species in the family Tytonidae, order Strigiformes. Recorded adults weigh about 580 g and live up to 4 years. It has been recorded in 181 countries, most often in France, United Kingdom and South Africa. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 580 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 90 cm |
| Lifespan | 4 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Young per litter or clutch | 5.3 |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Recorded in | 181 countries |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Strigiformes
- family: Tytonidae
- genus: Tyto
- species: *Tyto alba* (Scopoli, 1769)

Synonyms: *Strix alba*, *Strix flammea*

## Where it has been recorded

Countries with openly licensed sighting records on GBIF (records in brackets). Recorded sightings, not a definitive range.

France (94243), United Kingdom (70241), South Africa (32710), Spain (19485), Belgium (13854), Portugal (9960), Germany (5201), Israel (5004), United States (5003), Namibia (3740), Ireland (3150), Luxembourg (2638), Zimbabwe (2439), Netherlands (1785), Italy (1676), Australia (1572), Türkiye (1333), Botswana (1218), Sweden (968), Zambia (956), Greece (908), Switzerland (901), Senegal (846), Nigeria (738), Tanzania (736), United Arab Emirates (637), Madagascar (568), Poland (551), Kenya (548), Denmark (442), Czechia (387), Austria (325), Eswatini (320), Hungary (307), Cyprus (281), Bulgaria (273), Uganda (268), Ukraine (252), Iran (239), Mozambique (235), Egypt (205), Morocco (187), Cape Verde (171), Colombia (170), Malawi (167), Brazil (154), Serbia (154), Argentina (144), Ghana (141), Oman (139), Benin (138), São Tomé & Príncipe (135), Cameroon (133), Gambia (128), Guinea-Bissau (124), Palestinian Territories (124), Canada (116), Romania (116), Mexico (109), Croatia (100), and 121 more

## Common questions

### How big is the western barn owl?

An adult western barn owl weighs 580 g and has a wingspan of 90 cm, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

### Where does the western barn owl live?

The western barn owl has openly licensed sighting records from 181 countries on GBIF. The most records come from France, United Kingdom, South Africa, Spain and Belgium. These are recorded sightings, not a definitive range.

### Is the western barn owl endangered?

The western barn owl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

### How long does the western barn owl live?

The western barn owl has a recorded lifespan of 4 years.

### What kind of animal is the western barn owl?

The western barn owl (Tyto alba) belongs to the family Tytonidae in the order Strigiformes.

## Sources

- [GBIF Backbone Taxonomy](https://www.gbif.org/dataset/d7dddbf4-2cf0-4f39-9b2a-bb099caae36c), CC BY 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. GBIF Secretariat. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org.
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/), CC0 1.0, live API 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata, the free knowledge base.
- [GBIF occurrence aggregates (CC0 and CC BY records only)](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search), CC BY 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. GBIF.org occurrence search, country facet counts restricted to CC0 1.0 and CC BY 4.0 records.
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/), Per file, live API 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Licence and creator recorded per file.
- [English Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/), CC BY-SA 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

Cite as: Western barn owl (Tyto alba). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/western-barn-owl