Falcon owl
| Falcon owl | ||||||||||
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A pair of hawk owls, India |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Ninox scutulata | ||||||||||
| ( Raffles , 1822) |
The falcon owl ( Ninox scutulata ) is a medium-sized species of owl from the genus of the bush owl ( Ninox ). The name refers to the habitus of the owl, which is vaguely reminiscent of a falcon.
The falcon owl is widespread in Asia and a migratory bird in parts of its range . Several subspecies are distinguished. The IUCN classifies the existing situation as safe ( least concern ).
features
The falcon owl reaches a body length of 27 to 33 centimeters, of which 9.5 to 13.6 centimeters are on the tail. The weight is between 170 and 230 grams. There is no noticeable gender dimorphism . However, the males tend to be slightly larger than the females.
Both sexes have a chocolate-brown parting and neck with blurred ocher-colored dashes. The face is brown with numerous narrow white lines, the forehead is the lightest. The mantle, the back and the wing covers are a solid chocolate brown color. The feathers of the wing covers, however, have white spots on the outer plume. The arm and hand wings are also chocolate brown, but are cross-banded in ocher. The tail is dark brown with broad, gray-brown transverse bands and white feather tips. The underside of the body is whitish with large, teardrop-shaped red-brown longitudinal stripes. The iris is bright yellow. The wax skin on the beak is dull green or greenish brown. The dark beak has a lightened tip.
Distribution area and habitat
The distribution area of the falcon owl extends from the Indian subcontinent to eastern Siberia and Japan. To the south, the Andamans , the Malay Peninsula, the Sunda Islands , Sulawesi, the Moluccas, Taiwan and the Philippines belong to the distribution area . As Irrgast the Falkenkauz has already reached islands off the coast of northwestern Australia. In the north of its range the falcon owl is a migratory bird that overwinters on the Sunda Islands, Taiwan and the Philippines, in the south of its range it is a resident bird . In the winter half year, two different populations can be found in parts of the distribution area.
In India, the falcon owl can be found in forest areas from the lowlands to altitudes of around 1700 meters. In Japan it prefers to settle in hardwood forests and prefers to stay at the edges of the forest. It is also a frequent breeding bird in suburban areas and is known for breeding in temples and parks, provided they have a population of tall trees. On the Indian subcontinent, it is particularly common in gallery forests and also here near human settlements. In Southeast Asia, the falcon owl predominantly inhabits primary rainforests and is rare in the vicinity of human settlements.
Way of life
The falcon owl is crepuscular and nocturnal. He lives solitary or in pairs. Mated birds often sit very close to one another on a branch during the day, shaded by the tree's climbing plants or foliage.
The falcon owl's diet consists of insects such as beetles and grasshoppers, but also frogs, lizards, small songbirds, mice and occasionally bats . He typically hunts from a raised hide.
Reproduction
The falcon owl is very happy to call during the breeding season. The duets of the male and the female can often be heard for hours during the night. It prefers to breed in natural tree hollows.
In Japan the breeding season falls in the months of May and June, in northern India on the other hand it breeds from May to July and in Sumatra from March to April. The clutch consists of two to five eggs. These are only incubated by the female, who is supplied with food by the male. The incubation period is 25 days. The nestlings are fed by both parent birds. They are fully fledged between 24 and 27 days of age.
Subspecies
So far, nine subspecies are known:
- Ninox scutulata lugubris ( Tickell , 1833) occurs in the north, northeast and central India as well as in Nepal .
- Ninox scutulata burmanica Hume , 1876 is widespread in northeast India through southern China , Indochina and Thailand .
- Ninox scutulata hirsuta ( Temminck , 1824) is distributed in southern India and Sri Lanka .
- Ninox scutulata isolata Baker, ECS , 1926 occurs on Car Nicobar .
- Ninox scutulata rexpimenti Abdulali , 1979 occurs on Groß Nikobar .
- Ninox scutulata scutulata ( Raffles , 1822) occurs on the Malay Peninsula , the Riau Islands , Sumatra and Bangka .
- Ninox scutulata javanensis Stresemann , 1928 is found in the west of Java .
- Ninox scutulata borneensis ( Bonaparte , 1850) is widespread in Borneo and the north of the Natuna Islands .
- Ninox scutulata palawanensis Ripley & Rabor , 1962 occurs in Palawan .
literature
- del Hoyo, J .; Collar, NJ; Christie, DA; Elliott, A .; Fishpool, LDC 2014: HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International.
- Claus König, Friedhelm Weick, Jan-Hendrik Becking: Owls of the World . 2nd Edition. Christopher Helm, London 2008, ISBN 978-0-7136-6548-2 .
Web links
- Ninox scutulata inthe IUCN 2016.10 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
- BirdLife International: Species Factsheet - Solomon Boobook ( Ninox scutulata ) . Retrieved January 21, 2017.