Galápagos eared owl
| Galápagos eared owl | ||||||||||
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Galápagos eared owl ( Asio galapagoensis ) |
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| Asio galapagoensis | ||||||||||
| ( Gould , 1857) |
The Galápagos eared owl ( Asio galapagoensis ) is a species from the family of real owls. It occurs exclusively in the Galapagos Archipelago . It was long considered a subspecies of the short-eared owl . The ornithologists Claus König and Friedhelm Weick treat it as an independent species in their 2008 monograph on owls: The Galápagos eared owl has long been genetically isolated on the islands 1,000 kilometers off South America and has developed a behavior that it differs from the owls on the South American continent clearly different.
Appearance
With a height of about 35 centimeters, it is a medium-sized representative of its genus. Like all eared owls, it has striking feather ears . However, these are relatively small and, depending on the posture of the owl, cannot be recognized. The face veil is reddish-brown with a dark border. The area around the eyes is blackish-brown, which gives the face a mask-like look. The top of the body is also reddish-brown with blackish-brown longitudinal stripes on the forehead, the top of the head and on the neck. The underside of the body is paler, almost cinnamon-colored, with brownish vertical stripes and a few horizontal stripes. The eyes are yellow and contrast strikingly with the black face mask. The legs and most of the toes are feathered.
There is no possibility of confusion, as the Galápagos eared owl is the only representative of the real owls on these islands. The Galápagos barn owl has the heart-shaped face characteristic of barn owls.
distribution and habitat
The distribution of the Galápagos Ear Owl is limited to the Galápagos Archipelago. She colonized most of the islands there. It is a resident bird that populates open, moist grassland with a few isolated trees, ferns and bushes in the highlands of the larger islands, but also more arid landscapes with lava rocks, cacti and bushes. It occurs from the lowlands to the hill country and is still found at altitudes between 650 and 850 meters above sea level.
Way of life
The Galápagos eared owl is a predominantly diurnal owl. In places where the Galápagos hawk is more common, it is more active at night. It usually rests on the ground in the shade of bushes or stones, occasionally even in the crevices of the lava rock. Especially in the morning hours you can watch them sunbathing. She then usually sits on fence posts or a rock. It shows the lowest daily activity around noon.
It hunts mostly in the early morning and late afternoon. Their main prey are small birds. On the larger islands, Darwin's finches are their main prey. But it also eats birds up to the size of the Galápagos petrel , half-grown nestlings of the red-footed booby or full-grown Galapago pigeons . She regularly searches the seabird colonies for prey. The Galápagos eared owl has also developed a relatively unusual hunting technique in which it visits the large colonies of Oceanodroma tethys and Oceanodroma castro , sneaks up on the nests, and then beats the birds when they leave or enter their nests. In addition to birds, it also eats rats and mice. Insects also play a role and smaller reptiles are believed to be struck by the Galápagos ear owl.
The breeding season falls between November and May. The shallow, only slightly scraped nesting trough is built directly on the ground. It is often found between roots on the trunk of a tree or between lava rocks. The clutch consists of three to four white eggs. As a rule, however, only two nestlings grow up. It is only the female that breeds and is supplied with food by the male. After they fled, the young owls stay with their parents for a few weeks.
literature
- Claus König , Friedhelm Weick: Owls of the World . Christopher Helm, London 2008, ISBN 978-0-7136-6548-2
