Strigidae: Difference between revisions
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| synonyms =Striginae <small>''sensu'' Sibley & Ahlquist</small> |
| synonyms =Striginae <small>''sensu'' Sibley & Ahlquist</small> |
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| ⚫ | seum | place=London | publisher=British Museum | edition=17th| pages=65–70 | oclc=6213801 }} Although the name of the author is not specified in the document, Leach was the Keeper of Zoology at the time.<!--I was unable to find a scan of this online--></ref><ref>{{cite book | last=Bock | first=Walter J. | year=1994 | title=History and Nomenclature of Avian Family-Group Names | series=Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History | volume= Number 222 | publisher=American Museum of Natural History | place=New York | page=142 | url=http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/handle/2246/830 }}<!--Linked page allows download of the 48MB pdf--></ref> |
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The '''true owls''' or '''typical owls''' ([[family (biology)|family]] '''Strigidae''') are one of the two generally accepted families of [[owl]]s, the other being the [[Barn-owl|barn owls]] (Tytonidae). The [[Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy]] unites the [[Caprimulgiformes]] with the owl [[Order (biology)|order]]; here, the typical owls are a [[subfamily]] '''Striginae'''. This is unsupported by more recent research (see [[Cypselomorphae]] for details), but the relationships of the owls in general are still unresolved. This large family comprises nearly 220 living [[species]] in 25 [[genus|genera]]. The typical owls have a [[cosmopolitan distribution]] and are found on every continent except [[Antarctica]]. |
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==Morphology== |
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[[File:Strix nebulosa plumage.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Cross sectioned [[great grey owl]] specimen showing the extent of the body plumage, Zoological Museum, Copenhagen]] |
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While typical owls (hereafter referred to simply as owls) vary greatly in size, with the smallest species, the [[elf owl]], being a hundredth the size of the largest, the [[Eurasian eagle-owl]] and [[Blakiston's fish owl]], owls generally share an extremely similar body plan.<ref name = "HBW">Marks, J. S.; Cannings, R.J. and Mikkola, H. (1999). "Family Strigidae (Typical Owls)". ''In'' del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. & Sargatal, J. (eds.) (1999). ''[[Handbook of the Birds of the World]]. Volume 5: Barn-Owls to Hummingbirds.'' Lynx Edicions. {{ISBN|84-87334-25-3}}</ref> They tend to have large heads, short tails, cryptic [[plumage]], and round facial discs around the eyes. The family is generally [[arboreal]] (with a few exceptions like the [[burrowing owl]]) and obtain their food on the wing. The wings are large, broad, rounded, and long. As is the case with most [[bird of prey|birds of prey]], in many owl species [[sexual dimorphism|females are larger]] than males.<ref name=Earhart/> |
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Because of their [[nocturnal animal|nocturnal]] habits, they tend not to exhibit [[sexual dimorphism]] in their plumage. The feathers are soft and the base of each is downy, allowing for silent flight. The toes and tarsi are feathered in some species, and more so in species at higher latitudes.<ref name=Kelso/> Numerous species of owls in the genus ''[[Pygmy owl|Glaucidium]]'' and the [[northern hawk-owl]] have eye patches on the backs of their heads, apparently to convince other birds they are being watched at all times. Numerous nocturnal species have ear-tufts, feathers on the sides of the head that are thought to have a [[camouflage]] function, breaking up the outline of a roosting bird. The feathers of the [[facial disc]] are arranged in order to increase sound delivered to the ears. Hearing in owls is highly sensitive and the ears are asymmetrical allowing the owl to localise a sound in multiple directions. In addition to hearing, owls have massive eyes relative to their body size. Contrary to popular belief, however, owls cannot see well in extreme dark and are able to see well in the day.<ref name ="HBW"/> |
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==Behavior== |
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Owls are generally nocturnal and spend much of the day [[roosting]]. They are often perceived as tame since they allow people to approach quite closely before taking flight, but they are instead attempting to avoid detection. The cryptic plumage and inconspicuous locations adopted are an effort to avoid predators and [[Mobbing behavior|mobbing]] by small birds.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.livescience.com/56146-are-all-owls-nocturnal.html|title=Are All Owls Actually Night Owls?|last=Geggel|first=Laura|date=September 19, 2016|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=}}</ref> |
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==Systematic== |
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[[File:Squelette de Strigidae MHNT.jpg|thumb|upright|Skeleton of Strigidae. [[Muséum de Toulouse]]]] |
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The nearly 220 extant [[species]] are assigned to a number of [[genera]], which are in taxonomic order: |
The nearly 220 extant [[species]] are assigned to a number of [[genera]], which are in taxonomic order: |
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Revision as of 21:49, 13 February 2018
| True owl Temporal range: Early Eocene to present
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| Eastern screech owl | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Strigidae Leach, 1820 |
| Genera | |
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some 25, see text | |
| Synonyms | |
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Striginae sensu Sibley & Ahlquist | |
seum | place=London | publisher=British Museum | edition=17th| pages=65–70 | oclc=6213801 }} Although the name of the author is not specified in the document, Leach was the Keeper of Zoology at the time.</ref>[1]
The nearly 220 extant species are assigned to a number of genera, which are in taxonomic order:
- Genus Megascops – screech-owls, some 20 species
- Genus Otus – scops owls; probably paraphyletic, about 45 species
- Genus Pyrroglaux – Palau owl
- Genus Margarobyas – bare-legged owl or Cuban screech-owl
- Genus Ptilopsis – white-faced owls, two species
- Genus Bubo – horned owls, eagle-owls and fish-owls; paraphyletic with Nyctea, Ketupa and Scotopelia, some 25 species
- Genus Strix – earless owls, some 19 species, including four that were previously classified as Ciccaba
- Genus Ciccaba – the four species have been transferred to Strix
- Genus Lophostrix – crested owl
- Genus Jubula – maned owl
- Genus Pulsatrix – spectacled owls, three 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 – two to four species (depending on whether Speotyto and Heteroglaux are included or not)
- Genus Aegolius – saw-whet owls, four 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, six or seven species
- Genus Nesasio – fearful owl
Recently extinct
- Genus Mascarenotus – Mascarene owls, three species (extinct c. 1850)
- Genus Sceloglaux – laughing owl (extinct ~1914)
- Genus Grallistrix – stilt-owls, four species
- Kaua‘i stilt-owl, Grallistrix auceps
- Maui stilt-owl, Grallistrix erdmani
- Moloka‘i stilt-owl, Grallistrix geleches
- O‘ahu stilt-owl, Grallistrix orion
- Genus Ornimegalonyx – Caribbean giant owls, one or two species
- Cuban giant owl, Ornimegalonyx oteroi
- Ornimegalonyx sp. – probably subspecies of O. oteroi
- Genus Asphaltoglaux
Fossil record
- Mioglaux (Late Oligocene? – Early Miocene of WC Europe) – includes "Bubo" poirreiri
- Intulula (Early/Middle Miocene of WC Europe) – includes "Strix/Ninox" brevis
- Alasio (Middle Miocene of Vieux-Collonges, France) – includes "Strix" collongensis
Placement unresolved:
- "Otus/Strix" wintershofensis – fossil (Early/Middle Miocene of Wintershof West, Germany) – may be close to extant genus Ninox[2]
- "Strix" edwardsi – fossil (Middle Miocene of Grive-Saint-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?[3]
- Ibiza owl, Strigidae gen. et sp. indet. – prehistoric (Late Pleistocene/Holocene of Es Pouàs, Ibiza)[4]
The supposed fossil heron "Ardea" lignitum (Late Pliocene of Germany) was apparently a strigid owl, possibly close to Bubo.[5] The Early–Middle Eocene genus Palaeoglaux from west-central Europe is sometimes placed here, but given its age, it is probably better considered its own family for the time being.
References
- ^ Bock, Walter J. (1994). History and Nomenclature of Avian Family-Group Names. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. Vol. Number 222. New York: American Museum of Natural History. p. 142.
{{cite book}}:|volume=has extra text (help) - ^ Olson, p. 131
- ^ Feduccia, J. Alan; Ford, Norman L. (1970). "Some birds of prey from the Upper Pliocene of Kansas" (PDF). Auk. 87 (4): 795–797. doi:10.2307/4083714.
- ^ Sánchez Marco, Antonio (2004). "Avian zoogeographical patterns during the Quaternary in the Mediterranean region and paleoclimatic interpretation" (PDF). Ardeola. 51 (1): 91–132.
- ^ Olson, p. 167
Cite error: A list-defined reference named "Earhart" is not used in the content (see the help page).
Bibliography
- Olson, Storrs L. (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.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Strigidae.
- 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.