The fossil bones are about 60% as long again as a modern barn owl,[1] giving a total length of about 50–65 cm for T. robusta.

It was found sympatrically with the gigantic relative, Tyto gigantea, which at some 220% of the size of the barn owl grew to some 70–85 cm in length—larger than a Eurasian eagle-owl and maybe up to twice as heavy.

Presumably, the island was initially colonized by T. balearica whose core range eventually extended from the Apennines westwards to Iberia; they might have become cut off from the main population when the Mediterranean reflooded at the end of the Messinian salinity crisis 6 million years ago.

In any case, if these owls are considered paleosubspecies, the largest and latest form would be called Tyto robusta gigantea.

[7] The fossil owl bones are of Gargano are found in terra rossa (red earth) paleokarst infills.

As the global climate moved towards the start of the last ice age period, it was not too dissimilar from today, albeit a bit warmer and more humid.

The owls would probably have sought sheltered places to roost during the day, but for nesting barn-owls prefer crevices or hollows, and those of sufficient size would probably have been more plentiful in the broken ground than in the smallish trees of the region.

and Apodemus gorafensis mice and a Cricetus hamster) might have been taken on occasion (or preferably by T. robusta, whatever its taxonomic and systematic status).