This order is also further subdivided into two general families.

In terms of Linnaean classification, however, the term 'owl' is a word used to reference all animals of the order Strigiformes (las estrigiformes). That is to say that most people are not particularly interested in taxonomic names. This is probably due to the fact that most people don't go around naming animals by their Linnaean classification. In addition there are several other common names given to various types of owls such as mochuelos, autillos, cГЎrabos, nuco and caburГ©s.ДЄll that being said, I think that in Spanish any distinction that might exist between the terms 'lechuza' and 'bГєho' is often lost in everyday speech (as already alluded to by Gekkosan), just as in English many people will only make reference to 'owls' rather than drawing a distinction between horned-owls and barn-owls. For example, the Short-eared owl ( Asio flammeus) has 'ear tufts' which are not immediately apparent and this is reflected in the fact that it is commonly referred to as both 'bГєho campestre' and 'lechuza campestre.'Д®ven more confusing, in certain countries (MГ©xico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras), horned-owls (bГєhos) are sometimes referred to as tecolotes. With some owl species, the distinction is not alway immediately apparent. I think that the use of the word 'bГєho' for certain types of owls is probably related to the fact that the word stems from the Latin word 'bubo.' Coincidentally, the animal of the genus and species Bubo bubo is 'BГєho Real' (in Spanish). When you look at the definition of ' Lechuza' in the RAE, it seems to be a description of the common barn owl, Tyto alba, or in Spanish, 'Lechuza comГєn,' a type of owl which consequently is of the un-horned variety. В• los ojos grandes y colocados en la parte anterior de la cabeza, sobre la cual tiene unas plumas alzadas que figuran orejas. В• de color mezclado de rojo y negro, calzada de plumas The RAE also makes reference to the fact that the word 'bГєho' refers to owls of the horned variety: Habitualmente designa especies que, a diferencia de los bГєhos, no tienen plumas alzadas que parecen orejas. Lechuza es el nombre comГєn de varias aves del orden de las estrigiformes. Regarding the difference between the two, (if there is a distinction to be made), I believe that Eddy is correct that owls with tufts of feathers which stick up over their heads (sometimes referred to as 'horns' or 'ears') are sometimes designated as 'bГєhos.' Here is a Wikipedia exerpt:

Que es una lechuza