Barn owls belong to their own distinct family, Tytonidae, named after the Greek word Tyto, which means owl, and the Latin word alba, which means white. Though closely related to typical owls (Strigidae) such as the great horned and barred owls, the barn owl family differs in the shape of the facial disk (the feathers surrounding the eyes which give owls their distinctive look and which are thought to collect sound much as parabolic reflectors do for sound recordists) which is triangular or heart shaped rather than round; the shape of the tail ¿ squarish or notched (emarginated), rather than rounded; longer legs; and, after molting, tail feathers which renew from center outwards whereas typical owl tail feathers renew from outward in. Additionally, the skull of the barn owl looks quite different from those of typical owls, having a distinctly different shape, and an ivory colored beak, rather than black, gray or yellow. A medium sized owl with rounded head lacking ear tufts, the barn owl¿s body is slender, with long pointed wings that fold beyond the tail.