Barn Owl Sounds

What sound does a barn owl make?

Surprise: barn owls don't hoot! Instead they give a long, harsh, hissing screech — 'shreeee!' — that sounds genuinely ghostly drifting over dark fields. Their white faces and eerie screams are likely behind many old ghost stories.

Barn owls also hiss like snakes when defending the nest, snap their bills in warning, and chicks make raspy snoring sounds while begging for food. What you'll never hear is their flight: special soft-edged feathers make barn owls almost perfectly silent hunters.

About the Barn Owl

Barn owls are medium-sized nocturnal birds of prey found worldwide. They are easily recognizable by their distinctive heart-shaped face, which helps to funnel sound to their ears, giving them exceptional hearing abilities. Barn owls have pale, ghostly plumage that allows them to blend in with their surroundings. These birds are silent flyers, thanks to specialized feathers that muffle the sound of their wings, allowing them to surprise their prey. Barn owls primarily feed on small mammals, particularly rodents, making them valuable for pest control in agricultural areas. They nest in cavities, including old barns (hence their name), tree hollows, and purpose-built nest boxes. Barn owls are monogamous and often mate for life. Conservation efforts focus on providing suitable nesting sites and protecting hunting habitats for these beneficial birds.

Barn Owl questions

What sound does a barn owl make?

Barn owls screech — a long, hissing 'shreeee!' — rather than hooting. They also hiss and bill-snap in defence, and chicks 'snore' when begging.

Which owl actually says 'hoo-hoo'?

The classic 'hoo-hoo-hoo' belongs to owls like the great horned owl and tawny owl. Barn owls stick to their ghostly screech.