About the call
American Barn Owls don't hoot. Their signature call is a harsh scream about two seconds long, given mostly by males, often over and over while flying. A softer, wavering version, the purring call, is how a male invites a female to look over a nest site and how a female begs him for food. Disturb a nest and you get a loud hiss lasting three to four seconds. Agitated owls also snap their bills, and displaying males sometimes clap their wings in flight.