Barn Owl Vs Snowy Owl: A Detailed Comparison

If you’ve ever wondered about the differences between the ghostly barn owl and the majestic snowy owl, you’re not alone. These two owls have captivated people for ages with their unique appearances and behaviors.

If you’re short on time, here’s the key difference: Barn owls and snowy owls occupy very different habitats and ecosystems. The barn owl favors temperate grasslands and farms, while the snowy owl is built to withstand Arctic cold and hunt in wide-open tundra.

In this nearly 3000 word guide, we’ll cover everything you ever wanted to know about how barn owls and snowy owls stack up:

* Physical features like size, wingspan, coloration and more

* Habitats and ranges – from tropics to tundra

* Hunting strategies and typical prey

* Reproduction, lifespan, conservation status

* Fun facts and cultural significance

Size and Appearance

Wingspan

Barn owls tend to have a larger wingspan than snowy owls. Barn owls have an average wingspan of about 3 to 4 feet, with some individuals reaching up to 5 feet across. Snowy owls, on the other hand, have a wingspan of 3.3 to 4.7 feet on average.

The barn owl’s long, broad wings allow it to fly almost silently and maneuver efficiently while hunting in dense vegetation and woodlands.

Coloration

These two owl species differ significantly in their plumage coloration and patterns. Barn owls have buff to grayish upperparts and a pale, heart-shaped facial disk with dark eyes. Their underparts are a light reddish-brown color with some small black spots and bars.

The female barn owl is typically more heavily spotted than the male. Snowy owls have mostly white plumage with variable black barring. The amount of white versus black varies individually in snowy owls. Some are almost pure white while others are heavily marked with black.

The snowy owl’s white coloration provides camouflage in their arctic environment.

Facial Disks

Both barn owls and snowy owls have distinctive facial disks, though they differ in shape and color. The barn owl has a broad, heart-shaped facial disk that is buff to gray in color and helps direct sound waves towards their ears.

The snowy owl has a round facial disk outlined in black that sits flat against the face. The light color of the snowy owl’s facial disk likely helps reflect sound into their ears. The barn owl’s disk aids in sound localization during dark hunting, while the snowy owl’s allows sound capture in their bright, snowy habitat.

Claws and Talons

As birds of prey, barn owls and snowy owls have sharp talons, but the barn owl’s talons are longer and more slender. A barn owl’s talons can be up to 2 inches long and are well-adapted for catching and carrying away small prey like mice and voles.

The snowy owl has shorter but very strong, thick talons. Their powerful claws can clamp down with 500 psi of pressure, allowing them to grasp and carry larger prey like hares and geese.

Habitats and Ranges

Climate Preferences

Barn owls and snowy owls have different climate preferences when it comes to their habitats and ranges. Barn owls tend to thrive in more temperate regions, preferring warmer temperatures. They are found across much of North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

Barn owls can tolerate hotter climates as long as there is sufficient food and nesting sites available. In contrast, snowy owls are well adapted to survive in the cold Arctic conditions. They breed and hunt in the tundra regions of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Russia, and Scandinavia where temperatures can drop below -40°F in the winter.

Territories and Ranges

The barn owl has the widest distribution of any owl species, found on every continent except Antarctica. Their range covers most of North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Barn owls can thrive in a variety of habitats from grasslands, farms, cities, and deserts.

According to the Owl Pages, their global population is estimated between 25-50 million owls. In comparison, the snowy owl has a circumpolar distribution in the northernmost latitudes. Their breeding grounds center around the Arctic tundra in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Russia and Scandinavia.

Snowy owls sometimes migrate further south in the winter months when food is scarce. However, their global population is far smaller, estimated at around 200,000 to 300,000 owls according to US Fish & Wildlife.

Adaptations

Both owl species have unique adaptations to thrive in their native environments. Barn owls have long heart-shaped faces that help channel sounds towards their ears, aiding their exceptional hearing for hunting. Their plumage is a light brown color that provides camouflage in grasslands and farms.

Barn owls can also digest bones and fur, allowing them to utilize a wider range of prey. In the Arctic tundra, snowy owls have thick feathers to insulate them against freezing temperatures. Their white plumage acts as camouflage in the snowy landscape when hunting.

Snowy owls also have heavily-feathered feet that act like snowshoes to walk on top of the snow. These adaptations enable them to survive the harsh conditions of their northern habitat.

Hunting and Diet

Hunting Strategies

Barn owls and snowy owls employ very different hunting strategies suited to their environments. Barn owls are nocturnal hunters that rely on their exceptional hearing to locate prey in low light conditions.

They have specialized facial discs that funnel sound waves towards their ears, allowing them to pinpoint even faint noises made by scurrying rodents. In contrast, snowy owls are diurnal hunters that live in open, treeless tundra.

They rely heavily on their keen eyesight to spot potential prey at a distance. Their bright white plumage provides camouflage while they scan the landscape for a meal.

Typical Prey

The barn owl’s preferred prey tends to be small rodents like voles, mice, rats, and shrews. They do sometimes take bats, birds, amphibians, and insects as well. Snowy owls have a more diverse diet that includes lemmings, voles, rabbits, squirrels, ducks, seabirds, songbirds, and even fish.

Their powerful talons allow them to tackle larger prey than the slender-footed barn owl. Both species are opportunistic hunters that will consume whatever abundant food sources are available in their habitat.

Impact on Prey Populations

Studies have found that barn owls can exert significant top-down control on rodent populations. In agricultural areas, a single barn owl family can consume thousands of rodents in a breeding season, providing natural pest control.

However, because rodent populations are so prolific, barn owl predation does not appear to endanger the prey species overall. Snowy owls likely have less impact on prey populations given the greater biodiversity of their diet.

Their migrations also make it more difficult to quantify their predation rates in any one area. Both raptors fill an important ecological niche as predators, helping regulate prey numbers as part of a balanced ecosystem.

Reproduction and Lifespan

Courtship Displays

When it comes to courtship displays, barn owls and snowy owls have some similarities and differences. Male barn owls put on elaborate mating dances, soaring around the nest site while vocalizing to attract a female.

Snowy owl males are not quite as flashy, simply bringing food gifts to the female to demonstrate their hunting skills. However, both species reinforce the pair bond through exciting aerial displays after mating.

Nests and Parenting

These owl species take very different approaches to nesting and raising chicks. Barn owls don’t build their own nests, instead laying eggs directly on cavity or cliff ledges. Snowy owls meticulously craft nests out of lemmings, feathers, grass, and more.

While snowy owl fathers help incubate eggs and find food for the chicks, barn owl dads don’t stick around long after mating. Despite the differences, both barn owl and snowy owl parents are fiercely protective of their young.

Lifespans

On average, snowy owls tend to outlive barn owls in the wild. A barn owl’s lifespan ranges from 4-5 years normally and up to 10-15 years in captivity, while snowies survive between 4-20 years on average and up to 27 years in captivity according to OwlPages.

Their different environments and threats impact lifespan, as snowy owls face harsher Arctic climes and starve during prey scarcity while barn owls thrive in more moderate habitats.

Conservation Status

Population Trends

The barn owl has a global population estimated at 25 million, with around 90,000 breeding pairs in the United States as of 2020 according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. However, their numbers have declined by nearly 30% over the last 40 years in parts of their range.

In Canada, barn owl populations decreased by 89% between 1970 and 2017. The causes behind the decline are believed to be habitat loss, vehicle collisions, and decreased prey availability.

Snowy owls have a global population estimated at 200,000 to 300,000 mature individuals. Their numbers fluctuate and can spike during irruption years when they migrate further south than usual. However, long-term declines have been noted in parts of their breeding range like Norway where the population decreased by over 50% from 1990 to 2008.

Threats

Major threats to barn owls include:

• Habitat loss from urbanization and agriculture
• Vehicle collisions when hunting near roads
• Declines in rodent populations due to pesticides and loss of foraging habitat
• Climate change projections indicate a loss of up to 30% of the global range for barn owls by 2070

Snowy owls face threats such as:

• Habitat degradation in the Arctic tundra
• Disturbance near nesting and feeding sites from expanding oil and gas exploration
• High levels of contaminants like mercury found in some snowy owl populations
• Increasing predation pressure from other species whose ranges are shifting northward with climate change

Conservation Efforts

Conservation actions being taken for barn owls include:

• Nest box programs by nonprofits to provide nesting habitat
• Research studies tracking populations and causes of mortality
• Reducing rodenticide use and restoring natural grassland habitats
• Community outreach to prevent vehicle strikes

Efforts to protect snowy owls include:

• Habitat protection in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge where over 200 nesting pairs have been identified
• Working with oil and gas companies to minimize disturbance near nests
• Banning the hunting of snowy owls in the United States and Canada
• Tracking movements and winter irruptions to identify key habitats

More research and habitat management will be key for ensuring the future survival of these magnificent owl species. With coordinated efforts between scientists, governments, industry and local communities, we can develop conservation strategies to stabilize and ideally grow their populations.

Cultural Significance

Folklore and Mythology

Owls have long been seen as mysterious creatures, appearing in folklore and mythology around the world. Barn owls in particular are associated with ghosts, spirits, and death in some cultures:

• In English folklore, the barn owl’s screech was seen as an omen of impending death. They became known as “death owls” as a result.
• Celtic folklore often linked owls to the supernatural world and the realm of fairies. Spotting a barn owl was thought to signify that the fairy world was near.
• In Native American legends, the haunting call of the barn owl often represented the spirit of the dead trying to return. Several tribes saw the barn owl as carrying messages between this world and the next.

These beliefs likely stem from the barn owl’s ghostly white appearance and loud, unearthly screams at night. Their tendency to nest in barns and abandoned buildings near humans also contributed to barn owls becoming creatures of myth and superstition.

In Literature and Media

The barn owl’s mystical associations have led them to be featured in many famous literary works over the centuries:

• William Shakespeare referenced barn owls and their cries in several of his plays, like Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, and Macbeth, linking them with themes of darkness, ruin, and ominous warnings.
• Charles Dickens used the barn owl’s reputation as an omen of death in Barnaby Rudge. The villain Rudge is haunted by a white owl that seems to predict his coming demise.
• More recently, the Harry Potter series included screech owls like Ron Weasley’s tiny owl Pigwidgeon. These seem inspired by real-life barn owls.

Barn owls also frequently appear in movies to create an unsettling mood, like the haunting scenes with owls in The Ring and Twilight: Eclipse that help build suspense and tension.

So while snowy owls are seen as white guardians of the frozen north, barn owls are far more likely to be viewed as creepy harbingers of misfortune thanks to their ghostly features and habitat near mankind. Their rich symbolic meanings continue to inspire many chilling fictional works to this day.

Conclusion

In the end, the differences between the barn owl and snowy owl tell a fascinating story of evolution and adaptation to wildly different ecosystems. While they share the rapacious hunting skills of a silent flyer, their sizes, coloration, ranges, habitats and lifespans reveal how complex and marvelous nature can be even among closely-related species.

We hope you walked away from this guide with a new appreciation for how each of these special owls are built to thrive. And maybe inspiration to do a little owl-spotting out in the wild yourself!