any owl of the genus Tyto, esp T. alba, having a pale brown and white plumage, long slender legs, and a heart-shaped face: family Tytonidae
barn owl in American English
any of a family (Tytonidae) of owls, esp. a widely distributed species (Tyto alba), usually brown and gray with a spotted white breast, found chiefly in hollow trees or barns, that feeds on rats and mice