New Holland Owl
| New Holland Owl | ||||||||||||
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New Holland Owl ( Tyto novaehollandiae ) |
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| Tyto novaehollandiae | ||||||||||||
| ( Stephens , 1826) |
The New Holland Owl or Masked Barn Owl ( Tyto novaehollandiae ) is a species from the genus of Barn Owls ( Tyto ). It is represented by a number of subspecies in the islands around Australia , Tasmania and Melanesia . The individual representatives vary greatly in color and size. Compared to the barn owl ( Tyto alba ), the species has a very strong beak and strong feet with spreading claws.
features
In New Holland owls, the females are generally larger than the males. Females reach a body length of 38 to 46 centimeters. The males are between 33 and 41 centimeters long. The tail of the females is 13 to 15.8 centimeters. The tail feathers of the male are between 12.2 and 13 centimeters long. Females weigh between 545 and 800 grams. Males weigh between 420 and 670 grams.
Despite the very strongly varying plumage color, the females in the respective distribution area are basically darker plumage than the males. The heart-shaped face is reddish brown to white and is framed by a darker feather ring or face veil . The plumage under the eyes to the beak is usually also darker than the rest of the facial plumage. The top of the body is ash gray with an ocher tint, fine white speckles and larger dark gray spots and speckles.
The underside of the body is reddish brown to white with small gray spots. The arm wings are cross-banded in gray, the tail feathers have dark-gray cross-banding and dark gray spots. The legs are feathered. The beak is horn colored and the iris is brown.
There are several color morphs. In the case of the dark color morph, the face is chestnut brown to ocher, the upper side of the body is black-brown with a reddish tint. The underside of the body is pale red-brown with dark spots. Another color morph has a whitish face, a black-brown top of the body with a reddish-brown tint and a dense white speckle. The underside of the body is also whitish and has dark spots. The lightest color morph has a white face and a white face veil. The top of the body is blue-gray with a yellowish tinge and dark and white spots. The underside of the body is white with gray spots.
Subspecies
Masked Barn Owl (nominate form)
The nominate form of the masked barn owl ( T. n. Novaehollandiae ) is found on the Australian continent in South Queensland , New South Wales , Victoria and South Australia . It is named after her reddish leather-colored face veil, which is sharply set off by a black drawing. The upper side of the animals is brown-red to dark gray, the underside spotted brown.
Celebes Masked Barn Owl
The Celebes masked barn owl ( T. n. Rosenbergi ) lives on the island of Sulawesi sympatric with the Minahassa barn owl ( Tyto inexpectata ) and the grass owl ( Tyto longimembris papuensis ). This form lives mainly in the mountain forests of the island, where it hunts at night. The facial coloring of the animals is gray-white and the plumage on the upper side is black-gray with white waves in the individual feathers , and there are irregular, drop-like, white spots. The wings are about 340 to 350 millimeters long, the tail 140 to 150 millimeters. It is used by some authors such as König et al. (2008) also classified as a separate species.
Tasmanian Masked Barn Owl
The Tasmanian Masked Barn Owl ( T. n. Castanops ) is a form that can only be found in Tasmania . It is the largest subspecies of the masked barn owl and at the same time the darkest with a dark brown plumage top and a gray underside with large brown spots. However, individual copies are also significantly brighter. It is used by some authors such as König et al. (2008) also classified as a separate species.
More masked barn owls
- The Peleng-Masked Barn Owl ( T. n. Pelengensis ) lives as an endemic on the island of Peleng, east of Sulawesi .
- The Buru-Masked Barn Owl ( T. n. Cayelii ) is an endemic subspecies on the island of Buru .
- The Tanimbar Barn Owl ( T. n. Sorocula ) can only be found on the Tanimbar Islands and is one of the smaller subspecies. It is sometimes listed as a separate species.
- T. n. Manusi can only be found on the island of Manus, which belongs to the Admiralty Islands . It has a wing length of about 300 millimeters and a tail length of about 130 millimeters.
- T. n. Perplexa lives in Northern Australia ( Queensland ) and across Southeast Australia to South Australia. Their status as a separate subspecies is controversial.
- T. n. Kimberli is a form from Western Australia and Northeast Australia (East Kimberley ), which is the smallest mainland form. The status as a separate subspecies is controversial.
- T. n. Galei lives in Northern Queensland and on the Cape York Peninsula in Australia.
- T. n. Milvillensis lives on the island of Melville , which is off central northern Australia, its status as a separate subspecies is also controversial.
distribution
The New Holland Owl is common in Tasmania. It also occurs in a wide strip along the Australian coast and is only absent from a narrow stretch of coast in Western Australia. It also occurs in the south of New Guinea, in the east of Indonesia and the island of Manus . In the Australian Nullarbor Plain , a flat, far-flung karst desert in southern Australia just off the Great Australian Bight, it is now very rare. The owl breeds in burrows here.
literature
- Claus König , Friedhelm Weick: Owls of the World . Christopher Helm, London 2008, ISBN 978-0-7136-6548-2 .
- Ronald Strahan: Cuckoos, Nightbirds & Kingfishers of Australia . Angus & Robertson, Sydney 1994, ISBN 0-207-18522-0 .
Web links
- Tyto novaehollandiae in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2008. Accessed January 31 of 2009.