Spotted soot owl
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Spotted soot owl ( Tyto multipunctata ) |
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| Tyto multipunctata | ||||||||||||
| Mathews , 1912 |
The spotted soot owl ( Tyto multipunctata ) is a species from the barn owl family. It occurs exclusively in Australia.
Appearance
The spotted soot owl reaches a body length of 32 to 38 centimeters and weighs around 450 grams. The plumage is soot-gray to dark silver-gray. The underside of the body is a little lighter. The plumage has white spots on both the underside and the top of the body. The tail is relatively short. The eyes are relatively large for a species of barn owl. The face veil is gray-white. It is thus similar to the soot owl . However, this species is somewhat larger and has an even darker plumage.
Distribution, habitat and way of life
The spotted soot owl is found exclusively in the extreme northeast of Australia. The habitat are rainforests and moist eucalyptus forests with tall trees. The altitude distribution ranges from the lowlands to altitudes of 300 meters.
The sooty owl is exclusively nocturnal. She spends the day in the dense foliage of tree tops, between aerial roots or in caves and on overhanging river banks. Their food spectrum mainly includes small mammals. Small birds and insects also play a role to a lesser extent. What is unusual about her is that she hunts even during heavy rainfall. Its territory is around 50 to 60 hectares and it uses tree hollows for nesting. Mating mostly takes place in the tree cavity. The clutch consists of one or two white eggs. The female breeds alone. The breeding season is 40 to 42 days. Usually only one young bird fledges.
supporting documents
Single receipts
literature
- PJ Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Bird , Volume 4, Parrots to Dollarbird, Oxford University Press, Oxford 1999, ISBN 0195530713
- Claus König , Friedhelm Weick: Owls of the World . Christopher Helm, London 2008, ISBN 978-0-7136-6548-2