Red-backed fish owl
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Red-backed fish owl ( Scotopelia ussheri ) |
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| Scotopelia ussheri | ||||||||||
| Sharpe , 1871 |
The red-backed fish owl ( Scotopelia ussheri , Syn . : Bubo ussheri ) is a species from the family of real owls. It occurs exclusively in Africa. The red-backed fish owl is considered rare and a species that is particularly threatened by habitat destruction.
features
With a body size of 46 to 51 centimeters, the red-backed fish owl is one of the larger species of owl. As is characteristic of the two species of marble fish owl and conjugated fish owl belonging to the subgenus Scotopelia , it lacks the feather ears that characterize most of the eagle owl species. The back of the red-backed fish owl is reddish in color. The eyes are ocher to dark brown.
There are possibilities of confusion in the area of distribution with the conjugated fish owl and the marble fish owl. The conjugated fish owl is larger and has spots and horizontal stripes on the top of its body. The marble fish owl is as big as the red-backed fish owl, but unlike them, it is finely speckled on the upper side of the body.
distribution and habitat
The range of the red-backed fish owl is small and restricted to West Africa, where the species occurs in Sierra Leone, Liberia, the Ivory Coast and Ghana. The distribution area partially overlaps with that of the conjugated fish owl.
The red-backed fish owl is a resident bird that predominantly inhabits forests along large rivers and lakes. The species prefers primary forest, but also colonizes secondary forest, plantations and mangroves on the coast.
Way of life
The way of life of the red-backed fish owl has only been partially researched, but it is largely similar to that of the conjugated fish owl. The food spectrum presumably includes mostly fish. In Sierra Leone, eggs are laid in September and October. It is likely that only one young bird is raised per clutch.
supporting documents
Single receipts
- ↑ König et al., P. 348
literature
- Claus König , Friedhelm Weick: Owls of the World . Christopher Helm, London 2008, ISBN 978-0-7136-6548-2
Web link
- Scotopelia ussheri inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2014.