barn owl

noun

Updated on: 2 Apr 2018

Definition of barn owl

: a widely distributed owl (Tyto alba) that has plumage mottled buff brown and gray above and chiefly white below, frequents barns and other buildings, and preys especially on rodents

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Recent Examples of barn owl from the Web

The happy couple was just about to exchange vows when the barn owl — which had been commissioned specifically to fly down the aisle and deliver the rings to the best man — took off from its perch near the back of the room.

— michael bartiromo, Fox News, "Owl gets loose at wedding, leaves best man 'terrified'," 27 Mar. 2018
This also will become the home for the screech owls, barn owls and burrowing owls.

— dana oland, idahostatesman, "Birds of Prey gets a rare addition and a multimillion-dollar expansion | Idaho Statesman," 12 Mar. 2018
But farmers on both sides found common ground in fostering a burgeoning population of the natural pest-eating barn owls, which had previously been in decline.

— maya wei-haas, Smithsonian, "The Animal Cost of War," 11 Jan. 2018
Other birds that can be attracted to birdhouses in the San Antonio area include woodpeckers, barn owls, flycatchers, screech owls, house finches and tree ducks.

— calvin finch, San Antonio Express-News, "Purple martins are a great addition to the landscape," 4 Jan. 2018
Why were the barn owls able to maintain such acute hearing throughout their lives?

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Barn Owls Do Not Suffer From Age-Related Hearing Loss, Study Shows," 20 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'barn owl.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.