What does the American Barn Owl sound like at night?
Press play. If that is the sound outside, you have your answer — the American Barn Owl's "shreeee!".
What you're hearing
A long, rough-edged scream that may be repeated after dark. American Barn Owls do not give the rounded hoots people expect from many other owls.
“shreeee!”
Birders often file this one under Rasping scream.
What time of night you hear it
Full dark, often in flight, often over open fields and farmland.
Nocturnal (occasionally crepuscular). Roosts by day in dark cavities (barn rafters, tree holes). Breeding season timing varies with climate—generally spring in temperate areas, but can breed anytime if food abundant. Pairs may have multiple broods in warm regions. During breeding, males and females perform screeching duets and males may do fluttering display flights. In winter, non-breeding period, they continue to hunt nightly; in harsh cold/snow, many may perish or move to find better conditions.
Why an American Barn Owl calls at night
Barn Owls do not hoot. The night sound is a long, harsh, tearing shriek, and hearing it overhead in the dark is the single most common reason people search for a "screaming bird at night". It is a contact and territorial call, given on the wing.
What else could it be?
The other voices you are most likely to hear in the dark. Play them and compare.