Tasmanian Cuckoo Owl
| Tasmanian Cuckoo Owl | ||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Ninox leucopsis | ||||||||||
| ( Gould , 1838) |
The Tasmanian cuckoo owl ( Ninox leucopsis ) is a species of owl from the genus of the bush owl . It was previously considered a subspecies of the boobook owl ( Ninox boobook) , but according to DNA studies it is more closely related to the New Zealand cuckoo owl ( Ninox novaeseelandiae ). The species status is unsecured.
features
The length is 28 to 30 centimeters. The top is maroon with whitish to light yellow spots. The underside is red-orange-white and has a strong eye-shaped pattern. The red-brown face with whitish eyebrows is bordered by a white throat. The eyes are golden yellow, the bill and wax skin are greyish. The legs are cinnamon-brown feathered up to the base of the gray to gray-brown toes, the claws are dark / horn-colored with blackish tips.
Way of life
The Tasmanian cuckoo owl inhabits semi-open landscapes with trees and bushes, agricultural land with trees and swampy woodland, including settlements. The food is made up of insects and other invertebrates, including small birds and rodents. The double-tone calls are similar to those of the New Zealand cuckoo owl.
distribution
It is endemic and quite common on Tasmania and its neighboring islands.
literature
- Heimo Mikkola: Handbook owls of the world. All 249 species in 750 color photos. Original title: Owls of the World. A photographic guide. 2012, German-language edition, Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co.KG, Stuttgart 2013, ISBN 978-3-440-13275-3 , p. 455.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Tasmankuckuckskauz at Avibase, accessed on June 22, 2020