Does English have different words for different-looking owls? [closed]

French has le hibou and la chouette for owls with and without little tufty ears, German has der Kauz, der Uhu and die Eule for a similar (but not identical) distinction, Spanish has la lechuza and el búho.

Does English have a similar words for owls that look different (not the species name, but based on some shared characteristic)?

No, English has no specific word for owls based on this characteristic.

Terms for this feature in owls:

• Ear tuft [wikipedia], most widely-used
• Plumicorns [Merriam Webster Dictionary], in zoology
• Egret [Oxford English Dictionary], although this term more commonly refers to the species Egrets
  • A tuft of feathers such as that borne by the Egret and some other birds; a spray of gems, or similar ornament, worn on the head.
• Horn [Wordnik], when referring specifically to birds
  • Specifically— A feeler; a tentacle; an antenna; an ovipositor; also, the tuft of feathers upon the head of sundry birds, resembling a horn; a plumicorn, as that of various owls.
• Corniplume [Free Dictionary], rarely

So what does an English-speaker call the collective of owls with this feature?

"Owls with ear tufts" (or any synonym you prefer) is clearest.

You will also be understood if you refer to "Tufted owls" or "Horned owls", but this may give the implication you are referring to specific species such as the Long-Tufted Screech Owl or the Great Horned Owl depending on context.

As others have said, English has no specific (single) words for different-looking owls. However, we use compound names for different-looking owls.

According to The Spruce, there are more than 225 owl species in the world, divided into two families.

Barn owls with their distinct heart-shaped facial disks make up the Tytonidae family, while all other owl species are in the Strigidae or typical owl family.

Alphabetical List of Owl Species Sorted by Common Name:

Names with * -> Considered threatened or vulnerable due to population decreases and growing survival threats.

Names with** -> Listed as endangered and in critical danger of extinction if conservation is not implemented (Classifications by BirdLife International).

Tytonidae Owls

• African Grass-Owl (Tyto capensis)

• Ashy-Faced Owl (Tyto glaucops)

• Australian Masked-Owl (Tyto novaehollandiae)

• Common Barn-Owl (Tyto alba)

• **Congo Bay-Owl (Phodilus prigoginei)

• Eastern Grass-Owl (Tyto longimembris)

• *Golden Masked-Owl (Tyto aurantia)

• Greater Sooty-Owl (Tyto tenebricosa)

• Lesser Sooty-Owl (Tyto multipunctata)

• *Madagascar Red Owl (Tyto soumagnei) *Minahassa Masked-Owl (Tyto inexspectata)

• Oriental Bay-Owl (Phodilus badius)

• Seram Masked-Owl (Tyto almae) Sri Lanka Bay-Owl (Phodilus assimilis)

• Sulawesi Masked-Owl (Tyto rosenbergii)

• *Taliabu Masked-Owl (Tyto nigrobrunnea)

Strigidae Owls

• African Barred Owlet (Glaucidium capense)

• African Long-Eared Owl (Asio abyssinicus)

• African Scops-Owl (Otus senegalensis)

• African Wood-Owl (Strix woodfordii)

• Akun Eagle-Owl (Bubo leucostictus)

• *Albertine Owlet (Glaucidium albertinum)

• Amazonian Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium hardyi)

• Andaman Boobook (Ninox affinis)

• Andaman Scops-Owl (Otus balli)

• Andean Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium jardinii)

• **Anjouan Scops-Owl (Otus capnodes)

• **Annobon Scops-Owl (Otus feae)

• Arabian Scops-Owl (Otus pamelae)

• Asian Barred Owlet (Glaucidium cuculoides)

[The Spruce]

18 Owl Species With Irresistible Faces and English names By Jaymi Heimbuch - TreeHugger