Although it is true that owls have a very keen sense of hearing, they do not use echolocation like some other animals such as bats do. These animals’ highly-tuned hearing helps them to pinpoint exactly where their prey is on the ground so they can swoop in and get them very easily.
Owls have what are known as offset ears, which means that there is an opening on one side which is just a little bit higher than the other. This makes for a keen sense of hearing and audio detection. Owls can hear another animal or even an insect on the ground from yards away, giving them a considerable advantage over their prey.
Larry Dittmer says
Barred owls do use echolocation to navigate near the roost. They make a rapid series of high pitched chirps. These chirps have all the features of sonar pulses.