True owl

True owl
Temporal range: Early Eocene to present
Eastern screech owl
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Strigiformes
Family: Strigidae
Leach, 1819
Type genus
Strix
Linnaeus, 1758
Genera

some 25, see text

Synonyms

Striginae sensu Sibley & Ahlquist

The true owls or typical owls (family Strigidae) are one of the two generally accepted families of owls, the other being the barn owls (Tytonidae). This large family comprises 230 living or recently extinct species in 24 genera. The typical owls have a cosmopolitan distribution and are found on every continent except Antarctica.