TRUE OWL

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'True owls' (family 'Strigidae') are one of the two generally accepted families of owls, the other being the barn owls (Tytonidae). The Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy unites the Caprimulgiformes with the owl order; here, the typical owls are a subfamily 'Striginae'. This is unsupported by more recent research, but the relationships of the owls in general are still unresolved.
The nearly 200 species are assigned to a number of genera, which are in taxonomic order:

★ Genus ''Otus'' - scops owls; includes ''Megascops'', some 65 species

★ Genus ''Pyrroglaux'' - Palau Owl

★ Genus ''Gymnoglaux'' - Bare-legged Owl or Cuban Screech-owl

★ Genus ''Ptilopsis'' - white-faced owls, 2 species

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★ Northern White-faced Owl, '' Ptilopsis leucotis''

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★ Southern White-faced Owl, '' Ptilopsis granti''

★ Genus ''Mimizuku'' - Giant Scops-owl or Mindanao Eagle-owl

★ Genus ''Bubo'' - horned owls, eagle owls and fish owls; includes ''Nyctea'', ''Ketupa'' and ''Scotopelia'' but possibly polyphyletic, some 25 species

★ Genus ''Strix'' - earless owls, some 15 species

★ Genus ''Ciccaba'' - 4 species

★ Genus ''Lophostrix'' - Crested Owl

★ Genus ''Jubula'' - Maned Owl

★ Genus ''Pulsatrix'' - spectacled owls, 3 species

★ Genus ''Surnia'' - Northern Hawk-owl


★ Genus ''Glaucidium'' - pygmy owls, about 30-35 species

★ Genus ''Xenoglaux'' - Long-whiskered Owlet

★ Genus ''Micrathene'' - Elf Owl

★ Genus ''Athene'' - 2-4 species (depending on whether ''Speotyto'' and ''Heteroglaux'' are included or not)

★ Genus ''Aegolius'' - saw-whet owls, 4 species

★ Genus ''Ninox'' - Australasian hawk-owls, some 20 species

★ Genus ''Uroglaux'' - Papuan Hawk-owl

★ Genus ''Pseudoscops'' - Jamaican Owl and possibly Striped Owl

★ Genus ''Asio'' - eared owls, 6-7 species

★ Genus ''Nesasio'' - Fearful Owl

★ Genus ''Mascarenotus'' - Mascarene owls, 3 species; all extinct (c.1850)

★ Genus ''Sceloglaux'' - Laughing Owl; extinct (1914?)

★ Genus ''Grallistrix'' - Stilt-owls, 4 species; prehistoric

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★ Kaua‘i Stilt-owl, ''Grallistrix auceps''

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★ Maui Stilt-owl, ''Grallistrix erdmani''

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★ Moloka‘i Stilt-owl, ''Grallistrix geleches''

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★ O‘ahu Stilt-owl, ''Grallistrix orion''

★ Genus ''Ornimegalonyx'' - Caribbean giant owls, 1-2 species; prehistoric

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★ Cuban Giant Owl, ''Ornimegalonxy oteroi''

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★ ''Ornimegalonyx'' sp. - probably subspecies of ''O. oteroi''
'Fossil strigids:'

★ ''Mioglaux'' (Late Oligocene? - Early Miocene of WC Europe) - includes ''"Bubo" poirreiri''

★ ''Intutula'' (Early/Middle Miocene of WC Europe) - includes ''"Strix/Ninox" brevis''

★ ''Alasio'' (Middle Miocene of Vieux-Collonges, France)
'Placement unresolved'

★ ''"Otus" wintershofensis'' - fossil (Early/Middle Miocene of Wintershof West, Germany) - may be close to extant genus ''Ninox'' (Olson 1985:131)

★ ''"Strix" edwardsi'' - fossil (Late Miocene of La Grive St. Alban, France)

★ ''"Asio" pygmaeus'' - fossil (Early Pliocene of Odessa, Ukraine)

★ Strigidae gen. et sp. indet. UMMP V31030 (Rexroad Late Pliocene of Kansas, USA) - ''Strix''/''Bubo''? (Feduccia 1970)

★ Ibiza Owl, Strigidae gen. et sp. indet. - prehistoric (Late Pleistocene/Holocene of Es Pouàs, Ibiza) - see Sánchez Marco 2004
The supposed fossil heron ''"Ardea" lignitum'' (Late Pliocene of Germany) was apparently a strigid owl, possibly close to ''Bubo'' (Olson 1985:167). The Early - Middle Eocene genus ''Palaeoglaux'' from west-central Europe is sometimes placed here, but given its age it is probably better considered an own family for the time being.

Contents

References

External links

References

★ (1970): Some birds of prey from the Upper Pliocene of Kansas. ''Auk'' '87'(4): 795-797. PDF fulltext

★ (1985): The fossil record of birds. ''In:'' Farner, D.S.; King, J.R. & Parkes, Kenneth C. (eds.): ''Avian Biology'' '8': 79-238. Academic Press, New York.

★ (2004): Avian zoogeographical patterns during the Quaternary in the Mediterranean region and paleoclimatic interpretation. ''Ardeola'' '51'(1): 91-132. PDF fulltext

External links

★ ITIS - Strigidae Taxonomy

★ Typical owl videos on the Internet Bird Collection

★ Strigidae sounds from the Neotropics on xeno-canto.org

★ The Owl Pages about owls - photos, calls, books, art, mythology and more.