Moluccan Owl
| Moluccan Owl | ||||||||||
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Moluccan Owl ( Ninox squamipila squamipila ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Ninox squamipila | ||||||||||
| ( Bonaparte , 1850) |
The Moluccan Owl ( Ninox squamipila ) is a medium-sized owl of the genus Bush owls ( Ninox ) native to the Moluccas . The head is relatively large and round, and the shoulders are rather broader, while the body tapers downwards. It has no feather ears and has a relatively short tail compared to other species of the genus. Depending on the subspecies, the body size varies from about 26 to 38 cm.
Subspecies and their distribution
As of 2008, four subspecies are known whose distribution area is on the Moluccas. Since the individual islands are quite far apart, the subspecies are each differently sized and drawn. The following is a description and occurrence of the subspecies. So far there are no records of the young birds. The wing length is given here from the bow (elbow joint) to the tip of the longest wrist arm.
Ninox squamipila squamipila
Ninox squamipila squamipila ( Bonaparte 1850), the nominate subspecies , is endemic to Seram .
The face is fluffy reddish brown, around the eyes and at the base of the beak lighter to almost white. The stripe above the eyes is narrow and almost white. The iris is dark brown to dark red-brown or yellow. There are isolated reports that the iris color is age-dependent: in younger birds it is still brown, in older birds it is yellow. The beak is pale gray and the nasal wax skin is yellow. The head is dark brown and the back is dark red-brown. The shoulder feathers are provided with short, almost white ribbons, and the cover feathers are spotted with ocher. The wings of the hand are also reddish-brown and usually marked with four rows of pale rust-colored bands. During the call, it is easy to see that the throat is almost white. The upper breast is also feathered in reddish brown and densely decorated with dark transverse bands. Further down, the color becomes paler, making the dark red-brown transverse bands much easier to see. The lower legs are also red-brown feathered up to the bristled yellowish-brown toes. The claws get darker at the tips. The wing is 190 to 212 mm long, the tail about 135 mm, and the barrel length is about 32 mm. The weight of one male was weighed at 210 g.
His call is a soft wooo-wooo-wu-wu-wu-wu that can be heard from far away . In addition, it reproduces a number of frog-like croaking double sounds such as kwaor-kwaor kwaor-kwaor or kwua-kwua kwua-kwua . In the female, this call sounds about a tone higher.
Ninox squamipila forbesi
Ninox squamipila forbesi ( PL Sclater 1883) is endemic to the Tanimbar Islands .
The fletching of this subspecies is noticeably paler reddish brown, while the coloration between head and back hardly differs. The cover feathers are dark and tightly banded, but also have narrow, white transverse bands. The wings of the hand are also clearly banded. On the upper chest, the broad ocher-colored to reddish-brown transverse bands hardly stand out from the actual feather color. Further down the breast is almost white in color, the transverse bands are quite clearly visible here. The iris is yellow. The wing is 190 to 212 mm long, the tail about 135 mm.
His call sounds like a double-tone oo-ook with an accent on the first syllable, falling slightly on the second. Sometimes the two syllables go into an overblown double syllable. A series of seven to eight half-second tones was also observed, very reminiscent of human-like wailing cries.
Ninox squamipila hantu
Ninox squamipila hantu ( Wallace 1863) is endemic to Buru .
This subspecies is paler colored on the back than Ninox s. hypogramma , the wing ligament is less pronounced. The breast is pale rust-brown to ocher in color, the transverse ligament rather inconspicuous. The iris is yellow. The wing is 190 to 212 mm long, the tail 127 to 147 mm, and the barrel length is about 33 mm. The weight was weighed at 140 g.
A loud, cheeky ko-ka-käkäkä was observed with him during aggression . That is why it is also called Kokakä by the inhabitants of the Moluccan island of Buru .
Ninox squamipila hypogramma
Ninox squamipila hypogramma ( GR Gray 1860) is endemic to Halmahera , Ternate and the eastern Bacan Islands .
The head is dark gray-brown and the back is feathered dull rust-brown. The breast is reddish brown in color, densely covered with dark and isolated white transverse bands. The iris is yellow. The wing is 220 to 241 mm long, the tail 140 to 157 mm, and the barrel length is about 25.5 mm.
His call is a harsh double-throated sound of the same pitch that can be heard from afar and lasts about a second. This is repeated almost endlessly at intervals of 5 to 7 seconds.
Possible confusion
Due to its appearance, it is possible to confuse the Moluccan owl with the ocher-bellied owl ( Ninox ochracea ). But this one does not have cross straps on the chest. The little blue owl ( Ninox punctulata ) has a clearly recognizable white throat patch and is marked with white dots on the head and the mantle feathers. In addition, both occur only on Sulawesi . The Kläfferkauz ( Ninox connivens ) is much less red-brown in color, on the back rather dark brown to gray and on the chest white with dark brown to gray vertical stripes. The falcon owl ( Ninox scutulata ) has a much more falcon-like shape and a smaller head, the chest is provided with easily recognizable, red-brown, drop-like longitudinal bands.
Habitat and occurrence
The Moluccan Owl lives in forests, groves and thickets. It was sighted in coastal areas as well as in tropical lowland rainforests and mountain forests up to 1400 m on Seram, up to 1750 m on Buru and up to 1200 m on Halmahera and the Bacan Islands.
You can often hear it towards evening and night, only sporadically during the day. It can only be seen very rarely, as it is mainly in the thick thicket or in the treetops of medium height, there often on exposed branches or stumps. In fact, it is not uncommon, appears to be widespread, and occurs either alone or as a couple. It could also be observed that imitations of the calls of the respective subspecies are answered.
behavior
nutrition
The Moluccan Owl likely feeds mostly on insects such as grasshoppers . Judging by its physiology and sensitivity of the eyes and ears, it is more of a visual hunt. In the medium-high thicket, it is characterized by its high maneuverability.
Breeding behavior
Nothing has been recorded about the brood, offspring or rearing until today.
Species protection
The Moluccan Owl is endemic to isolated islands of the Moluccas and is restricted to a very small habitat. However, the species is more common there. According to observers, it can be found everywhere on Buru. Since it mainly feeds on insects, the Moluccan Owl is threatened by pesticides via the food chain .
Relationship and systematics
The Moluccan owl is related to the monochrome owl ( Ninox theomacha , New Guinea ), the New Ireland owl ( Ninox variegata , Bismarck Archipelago ) and the Manus owl ( Ninox meeki , Admiralty Islands ). Since they differ too much morphologically (plumage, eye color) and especially by their reputation from the Moluccan owl , König & Weick (2008) assume a closer relationship between the Christmas Island Bush Owl ( Ninox natalis , Christmas Island ) and the Cuckoo Owl ( Ninox boobook , due to its geographical isolation ) . Australia ). The partially different diet and the particularly isolated occurrence (2400 km from Buru, 375 km from West Java ) rather excludes a direct relationship.
literature
- Brian J. Coates, KD Bishop: A Guide To The Birds of Wallacea. Sulawesi, The Moluccas and Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia. Dove, Alderley 1997, ISBN 0-9590257-3-1 , pp. 133-135, 363 .
- Rob Hume : Owls of the world . Dragon's World, Limpsfield 1991, ISBN 1-85028-159-9 , pp. 119, 181 .
- Claus König , F. Weick : Owls of the world . 2nd Edition. Helm, London 2008, ISBN 978-0-7136-6548-2 , pp. 184-197, 448-473 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Coates, Bishop 1997: pp. 133-135, 363.
- ↑ a b Hume 1991: pp. 119, 181.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j König, Weick 2008: pp. 196–197, 470–471.
- ^ John Bowler, J. Taylor: An annotated checklist of the birds of Manusela National Park, Seram. Birds recorded on the Operation Raleigh Expedition . In: Kukila. Bulletin of the Indonesian Ornithological Society . tape 4 , no. 1-2 , 1989, ISSN 0216-9223 , pp. 3-29 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g König, Weick 2008: pp. 470–471.
- ↑ König, Weick 2008: pp. 184–197, 451–471.
- ^ A b Richard Schodde, IJ Mason: Nocturnal Birds of Australia . Melbourne 1980, ISBN 0-7018-1040-8 , pp. 37-59 .
- ↑ a b c Hume 1991: p. 119.
- ↑ König, Weick 2008: pp. 451–471.