Flores scops owl

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Flores scops owl
Otus alfredi.jpg

Flores scops owl ( Otus alfredi )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Owls (Strigiformes)
Family : Real owls (Strigidae)
Genre : Scops Owls ( Otus )
Type : Flores scops owl
Scientific name
Otus alfredi
( Hartert , 1897)

The Flores Zwergohreule ( Otus alfredi ), also called Floreseule referred to is a owl from the kind of scops owl . It is endemic to the Sunda Island of Flores . The type epithet honors the naturalist Alfred Hart Everett , who collected the type specimens in 1896 .

features

The Flores scops owl reaches a size of 19 to 21 centimeters. The wing length is 137 to 160 mm and the tail length about 78 mm. The face veil is dark reddish brown. The eyebrows are whitish. The small, round feather ears are reddish brown. The forehead has fine white wavy lines. The reddish brown skull is unmarked. The upper side is a single color, dark reddish brown, without stripes or shaft stripes. Small white triangles can be seen on the neck collar. The outer flags of the shoulder feathers are white and covered with large brown spots. The hand and arm wings are banded reddish brown and white. The tail is unbanded. The underside is dirty white. The chest is occasionally tinged reddish brown and shows a pale, fine, dark wave markings with reddish brown banding. The feet are smaller in relation to the body than in other scops owl species. The legs are thickly feathered except on the bare distal third. The eyes are yellow, the veil of the face is pink, the beak and the wax skin are orange-yellow, the toes are dull yellow and the claws are yellowish-horn-colored without dark tips. The young birds are almost monochrome, light reddish-brown with indistinct banding, but more pronounced tail bands than in the adult birds.

Vocalizations

The voice of the Flores scops owl was only recorded in 2005. The call consists of a single, sharp, short UH that is played back at intervals of 1.5 to 2.5 seconds. Territorial calls are more common and involve a noticeable, brief emission of loud, rapid staccato tones that sound like UH-UH-UH-UH-UH. Each phrase contains 5 to 13 tones.

distribution and habitat

The Flores scops owl is only known from the Ruteng and Todo mountains in western Flores. It lives in moist forests at altitudes above 1000 m.

Way of life

Nothing is known about the way of life of the Flores scops owl. It probably breeds in tree hollows.

status

The Flores scops owl was only known from the three type specimens from 1896 for a long time before it was rediscovered in 1994. A young bird was caught and photographed in May 1994. An adult bird was collected in March of the same year, but it was not until 1998 that it was clearly identified as belonging to this species. There were further sightings in 1997, 2005, 2006 and 2008. BirdLife International classifies the Flores scops owl in the “endangered” category and estimates the population at 1000 to 2500 specimens. The main threat is the destruction of habitats.

literature

  • Wahyu Widodo, Jack H. Cox, Pamela C. Rasmussen : Rediscovery of the Flores Scops Owl Otus alfredi on Flores, Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia, and reaffirmation of its specific status. In: Forktail. 15, 1999, pp. 15-23. (PDF online) ( Memento from June 10, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  • Claus König, Friedhelm Weick: Owls of the World . Christopher Helm, London 2008, ISBN 978-0-7136-6548-2 .
  • J. Del Hoyo, A. Elliot, J. Sargatal (Eds.): Handbook of the Birds of the World . Volume 5: Barn-Owls to Hummingbirds. Lynx Edicions, 1999, ISBN 84-87334-25-3

Web links