Masked Owls

(Family Tytonidae)

The masked or barn owls are moderately-sized to large birds, with large facial discs and long legs. Five species are resident in Australia, the endemic Lesser Sooty Owl Tyto multipunctata, wide ranging Eastern Grass Owl T. longimembris and Masked Owl T. novaehollandiae, and the Greater Sooty Owl T. tenebricosa, which is also found in New Guinea. The Eastern Barn Owl T. alba delicatula, found in Australia and throughout the Pacific, is a subspecies of the most widely distributed owl species in the world, the Barn Owl.