Mask owls
| Mask owls | ||||||||
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Masked Owl ( Phodilus badius ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||
| Phodilus | ||||||||
| I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire , 1830 |
The masked owls ( Phodilus ) are a genus within the barn owl family. The genus includes two species that occur in Southeast Asia and often the East African Congo Mask Owl, whose taxonomic status is disputed.
features
They are relatively small owls with a mask-like face veil that is V-shaped. The face veil of the barn owls , the second genus of the Tytonidae, is more heart-shaped. The face veil of the masked owls is surrounded by an edge of very stiff feathers. The wings are round and the tarsi are very short. The eyes are large and black-brown in relation to body size.
The distribution area of the masked owl is not contiguous. The Sri Lankan masked owl occurs in the extreme southwest of the Indian subcontinent as well as on Sri Lanka. The masked owl has a much larger distribution area, which extends from Nepal, Sikkim and Assam to the Philippines. Both species inhabit dense forests and are nocturnal.
species
Usually only two species are assigned to the genus: the masked owl and the Sri Lankan masked owl . Both types occur in Southeast Asia. The Sri Lankan masked owl is still treated as a subspecies of the masked owl in older literature. In more recent literature, it is classified as an independent species, because, among other things, its vocalizations clearly differ from the masked owl. DNA analyzes that support this classification are still pending.
As a third species, the Congo mask owl ( Phodilus prigoginei ) is often assigned to the mask owl. The species, which occurs only in a small region near Lake Tanganyika , is superficially similar to the masked owl. Claus König suspects, however, that this similarity was only due to a convergent development.
In detail, the genus includes:
- Masked Owl ( Phodilus badius )
- Sri Lankan Masked Owl ( Phodilus assimilis )
- Congo Mask Owl ( Phodilus prigoginei )
supporting documents
Single receipts
literature
- Claus König , Friedhelm Weick: Owls of the World . Christopher Helm, London 2008, ISBN 978-0-7136-6548-2
