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Owls are divided into two families: the true (or typical) owl family, Strigidae, and the barn owl and bay owl family, Tytonidae. [2] Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish. They are found in all regions of the Earth except the polar ice caps and some remote islands.
Barred owls tend to focus on fairly small-sized prey, although are capable of attacking larger than usual prey in infrequent cases. [123] [116] The mean size of prey taken is seldom estimated in the barred owls' eastern range, although one study estimated mean size of prey in the general east was 33.5 g (1.18 oz). [136]
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. They are medium to large owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful talons. They also differ from the ...
Dark morphs are a rich, dark chocolate brown overall, especially on the facial disc. The mantle of dark morphs is dark coffee brown with mildly different grey-brown streaking, lacking the white spots seen on this area on other Ural owls. The underside usually show dark chocolate brown streaks over a mid-brown base colour. [4] [58]
The dark upperparts have buff streaks and bars; the underparts are a dingy buff with dark brown or blackish barring and streaks. The eye is shades of yellow, the bill blue-black to blackish, and the feet dark grayish or brownish pink. Its eyes may appear to be a shade of crimson under certain lighting due to their reflective nature.
The head and neck are dark grey and the back and wings are sooty brown. The long tail has three faint bars, the upper breast and flanks have a reddish-brown wash, while the remainder of the underparts are whitish with rufous streaks on the side of the belly.
Otherwise it is a medium-sized, large-headed, rufous owl. The upperparts are deep chestnut with narrow, wavy dark bars, which are darker on the lesser wing coverts and on the head, so that they contrast with the white forehead and tips to the ear-tufts. The facial disk is rufous with a broad blackish rim and a white throat.
Burrowing owls have bright eyes; their beaks can be dark yellow or gray depending on the subspecies. They lack ear tufts and have a flattened facial disc. The owls have prominent white eyebrows and a white "chin" patch which they expand and display during certain behaviors, such as a bobbing of the head when agitated.