Ethiopian owl
| Ethiopian owl | ||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Athene spilogastra | ||||||||||
| Heuglin , 1863 |
The Ethiopian owl ( Athene spilogastra ) is a species of little owl that occurs in two subspecies on the west coast of the Red Sea .
The species has so far been classified as a subspecies of the little owl and accordingly listed as Athene noctua spilogastra . Due to phylogenetic studies, the subspecies delimitation in the little owl is currently changing. The Central and Southern European forms based on the cytochrome b comparison differ significantly from forms in Asia Minor and Israel. According to the results available so far, it is possible that the subspecies noctua , vidalii , indigena , lilith and plumipes are species that belong to a superspecies . In their owl monograph, published in 2008, Claus König and Friedhelm Weick name only eight subspecies and treat not only lilith but also spilogastra as an independent species.
Appearance and voice
The Ethiopian owl is a very small owl and reaches a body length of 18 to 19 centimeters. It is pale brown on the upper side of the body, but a little darker than the Lilith owl . The typical little owl spots are whitish. The vertex is sandy brown with noticeably dark brown longitudinal spots. The underside of the body is creamy-yellow to pale brown-yellow with brownish longitudinal spots on the front breast. The rest of the underside of the body is creamy yellow with pale brown longitudinal spots that differ from one person to the next. The barrels are only sparsely feathered. The toes are relatively long. The eyes are yellow.
The Lilith owl, whose range is on the east coast of the Red Sea, has noticeably shorter toes, is slightly larger and noticeably paler. Compared to the Ethiopian owl, the little owl has a more striking face veil.
distribution and habitat
The distribution area of the Ethiopian owl is the west coast of the Red Sea from east Sudan to Eritrea. It is also found in northeast Ethiopia and Somalia. Ethiopian owls are resident birds.
The habitat is open landscapes with individual shrubs, termite mounds and isolated groups of trees, wadis with steep rock walls and scree fields in semi-deserts and deserts.
Way of life
The Ethiopian owl is predominantly diurnal and crepuscular. Activity highlights are in the morning and in the late afternoon. During the hottest hour of the day, it often rests in the shade of trees or rocks or retreats in burrows on river banks and termite mounds. It feeds mainly on spiders, grasshoppers, beetles, moths, millipedes and scorpions. It probably also eats small mammals and reptiles, and it is believed to also loot the nests of ground-breeding small birds. Little is known about the breeding biology of the Ethiopian owl.
Systematics
Two subspecies are distinguished for the Ethiopian owl.
- A. s. spilogastra is the nominate form with a distribution on the coast of the Red Sea. It occurs from the east of Sudan to Eritrea and the northeast of Ethiopia.
- A. s. Somaliensis , like the nominate form, has long been considered a subspecies of the little owl. It is the smallest form within the genus of the little owl and only slightly larger than the owl . It is a little darker than the nominate form.
supporting documents
literature
- John A. Burton (ed.): Owls of the world - development - physique - way of life. Neumann-Neudamm, Melsungen 1986, ISBN 3-7888-0495-5
- Claus König , Friedhelm Weick: Owls of the World . Christopher Helm, London 2008, ISBN 978-0-7136-6548-2
- Jürgen Nicolai : Birds of prey and owls. Identify, get to know and protect birds of prey, owls and owls . Revised Aufl. Gräfe and Unzer Verlag, Munich 1994, ISBN 3-7742-1858-7 (compass nature guide).
- Theodor Mebs , Wolfgang Scherzinger : The owls of Europe. Biology, characteristics, stocks . Kosmos Verlag, Stuttgart 2008 (updated and revised edition), ISBN 978-3-440-11642-5
- Dries van Nieuwenhuyse, Jean-Claude Génot, David H. Johnson: The Little Owl - Conservation, Ecology and Behavior of Athene noctua, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2008, ISBN 978-0-521-88678-9