noun
1. : barn owl
2. : any of numerous small owls of the genus Otus that range from southern Canada to Brazil, are closely related to the Old World scops owls, and have erectile ear tufts and plumage with blackish streaks and vermiculation ; especially : an eastern No. American owl ( O. asio ) that is represented by several geographical varieties in the west and southwest and that exhibits two distinct phases of coloration consisting of a reddish brown and a gray