#western barn owl

[proton-wobbler]

Great Backyard Bird Off - Cosmopolitan Birds (poll 4)

Bird Info & Submission Reasons

Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)

Continents: Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania

"They're a fun pop of colour against all the corvids and seagulls, and I've also near run over them on my bicycle because they are so very stupid."

This long-tailed game bird is native to Asia and has been introduced in many other parts of the world. Male has fleshy, red facial wattles, iridescent blue neck, and richly colored red and golden underparts with dark spots; his namesake white neck ring is indistinct on some birds. Female is buffy-brown, heavily marked with black, and usually shows some white markings around the eye. Found in farmland, scrub, and along the edge of forest, and often gives a loud, abrupt rasping call that draws attention to its presence. (eBird)

Western Barn Owl (Tyto alba)

Continents: Europe, Africa, Asia

"Their name in Italian writes like "beard-Johnny""

"Aside from just generally being a cool bird, barn owls are one of the animals that consume most rodents (in regard to body weight) and are really important pest control because of this. We once had a juvenile barn owl peer in through our window and watch us for a few minutes."

Medium-sized owl with a heart-shaped facial disc and deep dark eyes; Varies across a wide range, but always note white-and-black speckling on the upperparts, beautiful gray-and-tawny wings, and large round head. Color of the facial disc and underparts varies from pure white to rusty orange. Hunts in open areas by night, foraging with a slow and buoyant flight. Roosts in old buildings, tree hollows, caves, and nest boxes by day. Gives a bone-chilling, rising shriek, as well as shorter rasping calls. (eBird)

Image Sources: Pheasant (Oscar Thomas); Owl (Jon Lowes)

Continents which are italicized represent the non-native range of the species. Whether introduced on purpose on or accident, these species may have become invasive in this range. Despite their potential impact on native wildlife, please do not leave disparaging comments on these polls. Their purpose is to celebrate people's love of these species.

[birds-in-posts]

Western barn owl (Tyto alba)

Barn Owls with Their Brood, William Tomkins, ca. 1775

[shibesky]

owls of ga’hoole if it were epic

[pick-a-plush]

[ornithological]

looks at bird taxonomical updates and sobs in my blog tagging system

[lyvri-pigeon]

please mr pastel was my father just call me Oil

[alexanderoftirragen]

i like the placement for my barn owl tattoo because when i hold my arm one way vs the other it looks like different tyto alba subspecies 😭

[spacefinch]

You guys

There is a screech owl in my neighborhood

(Not my photo, this is from allaboutbirds.org. Great website, by the way!)

Also, fun fact: Screech owls do not screech! They have a softer, trilling hoot. It sound like this.

If you do hear an owl screeching, it is most likely you heard a barn owl.

[scottpartridge]

A rectangular version of North American Owls includes Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, Bearded Screech Owl, Whiskered Screech Owl, and Flammulated Owl in addition to the Elf Owl, Northern Pygmy Owl, Saw Whet Owl, Eastern and Western Screech Owls, Boreal Owl, Hawk Owl, Long-Eared Owl, Short-Eared Owl, Burrowing Owl, Barn Owl, Spotted Owl, Barred Owl, Great Horned Owl, Snowy Owl, and Great Grey Owl. Note that the Hawaiian Pueo is a subspecies of Short-Eared Owl.

[snototter]

A barn owl (Tyto alba) perches in the trees in Stirling Ranges, Western Australia

by John Anderson

[laurinchen-fotos]

Sleeping western barn owl

[clementine-thedestroyer]

Finally made my decisions on which owl each of the 141 are!! Because yes, I’m still thinking about this!! I’ve been drawing this idea a bit too, mostly in the form of a hybrid AU because since before I can remember, I’ve always just loved the idea of humans with wings- so why not do a bit of well needed drawing practice to bring it to life?

John - Great Horned Owl

Why: Even from when I first started thinking of all this, I always knew Price would be a Horned Owl- mostly because I thought the ear tufts would look cute on him and Great Horned owls look eternally grumpy (just like our favorite captain), but also because to me, a Great Horned Owl is kind of the most iconic and recognizable species of owl. They’re almost like the kings of the owl world and they’re beautiful creatures (big ones too!). I felt that just fit really well for Price. It’s hard to describe but I just see the resemblance so clearly in my head.

Fun facts (included because I love owls and hopefully you do too): Great Horned Owl can take down and will even eat other large birds of prey like Peregrine Falcons!! Also, they can scream!! Just like barn owls!!

Kyle - Western Barn Owl

Why: So I actually had some trouble with Gaz. A lot of owls could have worked, but I really wanted one that captures how beautiful I find him. I could stare at his face for literal hours, and I think the reason I eventually settled on the Western Barn owl is because (like I mentioned in my earlier owl post) I think barn owls are just gorgeous. Most owls can be described as gorgeous, but barn owls just look so (almost hauntingly) beautiful to me. They look intelligent- they look deadly. What more could you ask for from a bird?

Barn owls both haunt my night mares (my father scared the shit out of me with a mask made to look like one once) and live in my day dreams. What better bird to (hopefully eventually) draw Kyle as.

Fun facts: They scream!!! Look up their calls- it really is like a scream! I believe most owls are able to scream/screech, but I love that it’s the barn owl’s call.

Also!! And this is so interesting, the Native American Newuk tribe believed that if you were a good and brave person, you became a Great Horned Owl when you died, while if you were evil, you became a Barn Owl. Technically this wouldn’t apply to the Western Barn Owl since it’s an old world species, but I still thought it was interesting- plus it talks about Prices owl too! (There’s a lot more Native American tribes that held beliefs about Great Horned Owls, but I struggled to find a consistent reputable source for those so take that with a grain of salt.)

Simon - Barred Owl

Why: Originally, I was considering the Snowy Owl, Boreal Owl, and Ural Owl. Eventually I had actually decided on the Ural owl before, while doing research on another owl I saw a picture of a Barred Owl that immediately struck me. While the Barred and Ural Owls both look relatively similar, the Barred Owl definitely has more ghostly (hehe, get it?) air to it, and I think it’s facial disk is a bit more defined, reminding me a bit of Simon’s mask. While the Barred Owl is a new world bird and the Ural Owl is an old world bird, it didn’t live in the UK so I mean yes… I *have* technically given 2/4 of the 141 American species of owls- but the Ural owl didn’t even live in the UK so it’s fine.

Fun facts: The Barred Owl’s only natural enemy is the Great Horned owl!! Make of that what you will, but personally, as a big fan of that one Ghost x Price dynamic where Price is the only thing bigger and badder than Ghost, I know what I’ll be making of it.

Johnny - Tawny Owl

Why: I mean it has a little brown mohawk. How could I not make this Johnny? These owls are quite adorable and honestly, most of the reason I chose this one was the brown stripe drown its head looking just enough like a mohawk for me to giggle about it.

Fun facts: This guy actually lives in Scotland!! Its range is pretty big and includes almost all of Europe and a bit into the Middle East, but the fact that it can be found in Scotland just makes it an extra perfect choice for Johnny.

If you’re a long time follower, you may vaguely remember how in a post I said that in hybrid AUs, I love when a character is a hybrid of a species that’s native to where they were born/where their family is from. While I do love that idea, I also unfortunately realized most of my favorite owls are American, so Johnny and Kyle are the only ones that idea really comes through with. Simon and Price’s owls are completely American ones.

(Below the cut are my honorable mention + the owl I imagine Laswell as- because this post is already super long)

Laswell - Northern Saw Whet Owl

Why: In addition to being native to North America, this owl’s color reminds me a lot of Laswell’s hair. It’s a small owl, but it’s quite fierce. It’s been known to eat only the heads of its prey if prey is plentiful, and that bit of info reminded me of laswell a bit. She’s so strong and confident- I love her.

Fun facts: There’s Native American beliefs about Saw Whet Owls too!! They’re super interesting and there’s quite a few!

Honorable mention:

Laughing Owl

The laughing owl is an adorable owl which apparently chased its prey on foot, rather than flying after it- which sounds really cute. The owl could only be found in New Zealand and unfortunately has been extinct for probably about 100 years, with its extinction being caused when European settlers arrived on the island. Really, this honorable mention section was just an excuse to tell you about them.

(Most of my info from this was gathered by browsing owlpages.com - which is a lovely website you should totally check out if you like owls!!)

[phightingheadcanons]

THE BEES ARE BACK....

Phighter and Animal headcanons!!!!

PHIGHTERS

Sword - Scarlet Macaw

Skateboard - Red Fox

Biongraft - N/A

Katana - Barn Owl

Ban Hammer - Wyvern

Rocket - Cottontail Rabbit

Slingshot - Scottish Fold Cat

Hyperlaser - Snow Leopard

Shuriken - Green Snaketail Dragonfly

Scythe - Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

Medkit - White-tailed Deer

Boombox - Tres Marias Raccoon

Subspace - Centipede

Vine Staff - Spotted Lady Beetle

Coil - Northwestern Wolf

DEITIES

Darkheart - Clarias Catfish

Firebrand - Old World Fruit Bat

Ghostwalker - Domestic Silk Moth

Icedagger - Spring Azure Butterfly

Illumina - Purple-winged Ground Dove

Venomshank - Flesh Fly

Windforce - Chinese Fire Dragon

NPCS

Dom - Spectacled Flying Fox Bat

Ghosdeeri - N/A

Graffiti - Albino Ferret

Lightblox - Rosy Maple Moth

Pwnatious - Alaskan Moose

Mx. Bot - Peacock Jumping Spider

Paint Buckèt - Indian Peacock

Rainbeau - Green Peacock

Spray Paint - Congo Peacock

Broker - Spotted Hyena

Traffic - Guadeloupe Raccoon

Valk - Masked Flying Fox Bat

Zuka - Satin Rabbit

- 10,000 angry bees (Headcanon from bee 2732)

RATTLE SNAKE SCYTHE AND CHINESE DRAGON WINDFORCE WE WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HELL YEAH!!!!!!! SPEAK YOUR TRUTH BEE 2732!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[your-fave-as-owl]

Ghost (Cod)

Simon "Ghost" Riley from the video game series Call of Duty is a Common Barn Owl (Tyto alba).

Reason: His alias Ghost fits with the alternative name Ghost Owl that is sometimes used for the Barn Owl. Due to his nationality being Britisch, it's the Common/Western one.

[supremebirdbracket]

Two popular classics! But who is the Superb Owl?

The most widely distributed owl in the Americas, the great horned owl ranges throughout North America and much of Central and South America. They can be found in almost any habitat. These owls mostly prey on rodents and lagomorphs, but are opportunistic hunters and will take anything they can catch, including smaller owls. They hunt by watching from a perch. Regarding their ecological niche, they are sometimes described as the nocturnal equivalent of red-tailed hawks. Great horned owls nest earlier in the year than most other raptors. These owls are very long-lived, with a typical lifespan of around 13 years in the wild (with a record of 28) and up to 50 in captivity!

Western barn owls live throughout Europe as well as much of Africa and the Arabian peninsula in a wide variety of habitats, but most especially favoring open woodland and grasslands. These owls mostly eat small mammals such as rodents and shrews, but will also eat birds, amphibians, lizards, and insects. They hunt by flying slowly over ground and pouncing when movement is detected. Western barn owls are usually monogamous, mating for life. After fledging, young remain with their parents for only about a month. Since barn owls have relatively high metabolic rates, they eat proportionally more rodents than other owls and are thereby appreciated by farmers as effective pest control.

[mer-acle]

Here's a video on how different owls sound and bc I feel funny I'm gonna describe them

Barn owl: Fucking cryptid screech Snowy owl: witchcackle.mp3 from pixabay Great Horned Owl: Naaww listen to this cute little chirp. Sounds a little like a horse Spotted owl: Gossip shocked noise ™ (looks that way too) Eagle Owl: We've upgraded to eviladvisorcackle.mp3 Burrowing Owl: FINALLY AN OWL THAT HOOTS!!! (so cute) Little Owl: The gremling scream you'd expect from it Elf owl: Sounds like a DJ scratch Northern Hawk Owl: Does not sound like a hawk actually Great Grey Owl: Committed to one hoo and runs with that Long Eared Owl: Ah look. A cat. Barred Owl: And here's the matching dog. Northern Saw Whet Owl: Honey, the water is boiling, put out the kettle! Short-eared Owl: Grumpy old woman at the mall. Spectacled Owl: Is that meant to be a laugh? Bc that's a fail Western Screech owl: It sounds like a soundeffect of something dropping and like spinning around for a bit before it lies still Eastern Screech Owl: Sounds like any other bird ever Eurasian Pygmy Owl: Someone's whistling but what song is it? Boreal Owl: Slightly sped up hoo, but still hoo! Oriental Bay Owl: Are you okay you sound anxious? Also looks like a Maki lol Tawny Owl: Spooky Hoo™ Striped Owl: Rubber Duck Tawny Fish Owl: Slightly uncommitted cryptid screech. Spotted Wood Owl: Sounds exactly like the Spotted owl but looks nothing like it. Eurasian Scop Owl: Sounds like it says no, but doesn't really care. Tengmalm's Owl: Spooky hoo, but nice about it. Ural Owl: Can you pick one sound?

(clearly I have no knowledge on owls and idk what other sounds each type makes this is just based on the video I watched for the sake of fanfic lol Owls are cute. I like them)