Screech owls prefer forests, farm woodlots, and shade trees in urban and suburban backyards and parks. Dead trees provide nest sites too. Screech owls will drink and bathe in garden ponds and birdbaths at night. The barn owl is a pale owl with long legs and dark eyes on a heart shaped face. Rusty brown above, underparts range from white to cinnamon.
Females are usually darker than the male.
Their nocturnal hunting jaunts net them mice, moles, shrews, rats, gophers, ground squirrels, rabbits, and skunks. The barn owl roosts and nests in dark cavities in city and farm buildings, cliffs, and trees. Its call is a raspy, hissing screech. You can tell if an owl is in your area not only by hearing its hooting at night, but look for owl pellets under potential roosting areas. Owl pellets are the regurgitated indigestible portions of their food such as bones, hair and feathers.