Dwarf Barn Owl (Late Pleistocene of Cuba) Tyto sp. 1 Tyto sp. 2 Late prehistoric extinctions usually known from subfossil remains Mussau barn owl (Tyto cf. novaehollandiae) found in Mussau New Ireland greater barn owl (Tyto cf. novaehollandiae) found in New Ireland New Ireland lesser barn owl (Tyto cf. alba/aurantiaca) found in New Ireland New Caledonian barn owl (Tyto letocarti) found in New Caledonia - tentatively placed here Puerto Rican barn owl (Tyto cavatica) found in Puerto Rico - may still have existed up to 1912; possibly a subspecies of the ashy-faced owl (Tyto glaucops) Noel's barn owl (Tyto noeli) found in Cuba Rivero's barn owl (Tyto riveroi) found in Cuba Cuban barn owl (Tyto sp.) found in Cuba Hispaniolan barn owl (Tyto ostologa) found in Hispaniola Bahaman barn owl (Tyto pollens) found in Little Exuma, New Providence, and maybe Andros Island, the Bahamas - may have survived into the 16th century Barbuda barn owl (Tyto neddi) found in Barbuda and possibly Antigua Maltese barn owl (Tyto melitensis) found in Malta - formerly in Strix; possibly a paleosubspecies of Tyto alba Former species A number of owl fossils were at one time assigned to the present genus, but are nowadays placed elsewhere. While there are clear differences in osteology between typical owls and barn owls, there has been parallel evolution to some degree and thus isolated fossil bones cannot necessarily be assigned to either family without thorough study. Notably, the genus Strix has been misapplied by many early scientists as a "wastebasket taxon" for many owls, including Tyto. Tyto antiqua (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene of Quercy? - Early Miocene of France) was a barn owl of the prehistoric genus Prosybris; this taxon might be a nomen nudum, as the species was originally described in Strix, this requires confirmation Tyto edwardsi (Late Miocene of Grive-Saint-Alban, France) was a strigid owl, but has not yet been reliably identified to a genus; it might belong in Strix or the European Ninox-like group. Tyto ignota (Middle Miocene of Sansan, France) was a strigid owl of unclear affinities; while it might belong into Strix, this requires confirmation "TMT 164", a distal left tarsometatarsus of a supposed Tyto from the Middle Miocene Grive-Saint-Alban (France); might also belong in Prosybris, as it is similar to Tyto antiqua Description They are darker on the back than the front, usually an orange-brown colour, the front being a paler version of