Stilt-owl
| Grallistrix | |
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Fossil
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| Genus: | Grallistrix
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Grallistrix auceps | |
The stilt-owls (Grallistrix) are a genus of true owls which contains four species, all of which lived on the Hawaiian Islands but are now extinct.
Grallistrix can be loosely translated as "owl on stilts". The genus received this name due to the long legs and presumably terrestrial habits which they evolved in the absence of mammalian predators on their island homes. They fed on smaller birds such as Hawaiian honeycreepers. While they were well able to fly, they may have stalked sleeping birds on foot, or raided seabird colonies at night.
When the islands were settled by humans since the late 1st millennium AD, the owls presumably rapidly succumbed to the depredations of introduced pigs and possibly Polynesian Rats, as well as habitat destruction for agriculture. They were never seen alive by scientists, being known only from subfossil bones.
Species
- Kaua‘i Stilt-owl, Grallistrix auceps
- Maui Stilt-owl, Grallistrix erdmani
- Moloka‘i Stilt-owl, Grallistrix geleches
- O‘ahu Stilt-owl, Grallistrix orion
In popular culture
The games Pokémon Sun and Moon, which feature a setting inspired by the Hawaiian islands, feature the Pokémon Decidueye, which appears to be based on Grallistrix due to its long legs. While Decidueye starts as the Grass- and Flying-type Pokemon Rowlet, it loses its Flying-type status for the Ghost type, which may be a reference to Grallistrix species' possible terrestrial hunting behavior or the genus's extinct status.
See also
- Tyto pollens
- Ornimegalonyx
- Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
- List of extinct birds
- List of fossil birds
- List of extinct animals
- Flightless birds
References
- Kay, E. Alison (1994). A Natural History of the Hawaiian Islands: Selected Readings II. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-1659-5.
- Ziegler, Alan C. (2002). Hawaiian Natural History, Ecology, and Evolution. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-2190-4.
External links
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