Congo Mask Owl
| Congo Mask Owl | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Phodilus prigoginei | ||||||||||||
| Schouteden , 1952 |
The Congo mask owl ( Phodilus prigoginei ), also called Prigogine owl , is a species from the genus of mask owls that occurs only in a relatively small area in Africa. Very little is known about the species. The descriptions come from a bird's hide , two field observations and a captive individual.
features
The Congo Mask Owl reaches a body length of 24 centimeters and weighs 195 grams. The eyes are relatively small, especially when compared to the eyes of the masked owl species. The feet and beak are also smaller. The underside of the body is light rust-colored with some white spots bordered in black. The color of the top of the body is dark rust-colored. Nothing is known about the voice.
Habitat and way of life
The few observations were all made in a relatively small area near Lake Tanganyika . Their habitat are gallery forests at altitudes between 1830 and 2430 meters above sea level. Neither about the reproductive biology nor the food spectrum are available.
Systematics
The taxonomic classification of the Congo Mask Owl is difficult. It has similarities with the masked owl ( Phodilus badius ), which is why it is often placed in the genus Phodilus . Claus König takes the view that this similarity can also have arisen through a convergent development and assigns it to the barn owls , whose characteristic heart-shaped face veil it shows. This assessment was followed by the Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World in 2013, while most of the other checklists, including Clements, International Ornithological Congress , BirdLife International or the Handbook of the Birds of the World, continue to be classified into the genus Hold on to Phodilus . The Congo Mask Owl could possibly also belong to its own genus. The art epithet honors the Belgian-Russian ornithologist Alexandre Prigogine .
literature
- Claus König , Friedhelm Weick: Owls of the World. Christopher Helm, London 2008, ISBN 978-0-7136-6548-2 .