Barn owl, Tyto alba. Barn owls have a wide global spread, from most of the States and continuing to all of South America, much of Europe, non-Saharan Africa, India, southwest China, west Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Australia. There are around 20-30 subspecies recognized for this species, with genetic work still being done. Barn owls are different in that they are not true owls, belonging to the family Tytonidae instead of Strigidae. Some main differences that separate them is that they have a notably heart-shaped face and having longer legs.