This owl is characterized by its heart-shaped face and dark eyes. In flight, at night, the barn owl appears to be pure white. His upperparts are, however, an orange buff, speckled with gray and white. The darker birds are females, with the males being paler in color. Their average length is 16 inches.
Barn owls rely on open fields for hunting.
They are nocturnal, preying primarily on small rodents. They generally swallow their prey whole. Undigested portions, such as fur and bones, are regurgitated by the barn owl in pellet form. All birds of prey produce these castings which, when examined, can assist the biologist or nature lover in determining the preferred prey species of the predatory birds. Attics, barns, church steeples, and homemade barn owl boxes are all suitable nesting sites, as barn owls do not build nests, preferring instead to lay their eggs on flat or slightly creviced surfaces.