America barn owl
| America barn owl | ||||||||||||
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America Barn Owl ( Tyto furcata ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Tyto furcata | ||||||||||||
| ( Temminck , 1827) |
The American barn owl ( Tyto furcata ) is a species from the genus of barn owls, which occurs in five subspecies in North and South America and in the Caribbean. For a long time it was considered a subspecies of the barn owl , but in more recent literature it is viewed as an independent species based on more recent genetic findings.
features
The American barn owl has a lot in common with the barn owl that also occurs in Central Europe. It is a relatively large species. The nominate shape reaches a body length of 38 centimeters and weighs between 387 and 500 grams. The females are slightly larger than the males. Otherwise there is no noticeable gender dimorphism .
Several other species of barn owls occur in their range. The Hispaniola barn owl differs from the American barn owl, among other things, by the ash-gray face veil . The Lesser Antilles barn owl , like the Hispaniola barn owl, is noticeably smaller and has darker plumage with a brownish underside. The Curaçao barn owl, on the other hand, is golden brown on the top and white on the underside.
Distribution and way of life
The distribution area of the American barn owl extends from British Columbia to Mexico, Central America, Cuba, Jamaica, Bahamas, Bermuda and Hispaniola. In South America the distribution area extends from Colombia and Venezuela to Tierra del Fuego. Most of them are resident birds, even the northern populations stay in their breeding areas during the cold season. Severe winters mean that stocks keep falling sharply. In this, too, the American barn owl resembles the barn owl of the Old World.
Subspecies
The following subspecies are included in the American barn owl:
| subspecies | Distribution area | Distinguishing features of the individual subspecies |
|---|---|---|
| America barn owl
Tyto furcata furcata ( Temminck , 1827) |
Cuba, Isla de la Juventud, Cayman Islands, Jamaica | see description above |
| North American barn owl
T. f. pratincola ( Bonaparte , 1838) |
North and Central America. The southern limit of distribution runs in the east of Guatemala and Nicaragua. The main area of distribution is the south of the USA and northern Mexico. | With a wing length of up to 370 millimeters and a total length of almost 430 millimeters, it is a very large barn owl. The top of the animals is light to dark orange, sometimes with gray admixtures, the underside is pale orange to white and marked with distinctive brown tips. |
| Brazilian barn owl
T. f. tuidara ( JE Gray , 1829) |
Brazil and Argentina from the Amazon to the southern tip of Patagonia | Subspecies resembles the Central European barn owl in its appearance, but has longer legs. |
| Guiana Barn Owl
T. f. hellmayri |
Suriname , French Guiana and Guyana, as well as northern Brazil | The top of this shape is dark gray to brown with pale gray spots. The underside is pale rust brown with irregular brown cross-shaped spots. The veil is also pale brown. |
| Peruvian barn owl
T. f. contempta ( Hartert , 1898) |
Peru , Ecuador , Venezuela and Colombia | The subspecies is brightly colored and white underneath with black speckles, but some individuals are also rusty yellow on the underside. Otherwise it resembles the Brazilian barn owl in the drawing. |
supporting documents
Single receipts
literature
- Claus König , Friedhelm Weick: Owls of the World . Christopher Helm, London 2008, ISBN 978-0-7136-6548-2