Zoological Description And Adaptations Introduction Barn owls, Tyto alba , renowned nocturnal predators that have fascinated scientists and bird lovers alike for decades, share many general characteristics with other species of owls.
Owls possess well-developed facial disk, with barn owls in particular.
A common theme throughout this order is the possession of a sharp curved beak, a cere at its base and powerful razor-sharp claws commonly called talons, with its fourth toe possessing a great deal of lateral movement to direct it either forwards or backwards. Classification Earlier classification placed hawks and owls in the same genealogy and separated them into two separate orders. Under currently accepted classification, the order Strigiformes, which includes all the owls, is divided into two families, the family Tytonidae and the family Striginae, each of which is further divided into two sub-families. One common characteristic of Tytonidae is the possession of the inner and middle toes that are roughly the same length, with the middle toe having a comb-like structure. Members of Tytonidae also have proportionally longer skull, with the thick inter-orbital septum and relatively small orbits.