OWLS
Owls are birds of prey that can be as small as less than 5 1/2 inches (shown, the tiny Xenoglaux loweryi, meaning "strange owl," also known as the Long-Whiskered Owlet, one of the smallest owls in the world, height is 5-5 1/2 inches, rare, endangered, Peru), to as big as 2 feet (shown, European Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo), weighs up to 7 lbs., 23-30" long, wingspan 55-79").
Owls (Order Strigiformes) are a diverse group of birds that includes over 200 species. The Order Strigiformes is subdivided into two families, Family Strigidae (typical owls) and Family Tytonidae (barn owls).
Classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Aves
- Order: Strigiformes
The Order Strigiformes contains the following subgroups:- Family: Tytonidae (barn owls)
- Family: Strigidae (typical owls)
"Owl" is onomatopoeic (WHO would have thought?) and descends from the same Latin root as "ululate" (to howl, wail, lament loudly!).
Habitat: Owls occur at all major biomes, with the exception of marine, though the majority are forest birds. The enjoy great diversity on all the major land masses of the world, except Antarctica, and tolerate the coldest and warmest, driest and wettest climates.
Owls of Afghanistan
| Otus brucei | Pallid Scops-Owl |
| Otus scops | Common Scops-Owl |
| Bubo bubo | Eurasian Eagle-Owl |
| Strix aluco | Tawny Owl |
| Athene noctua | Little Owl |
| Athene brama | Spotted Owlet |
| Asio flammeus | Short-eared Owl |
Meet Bruce!
Pallid Scops-Owl
| Otus brucei - Family Strigidae |
also called Bruce's Scops Owl and Striated Scops Owl
Small eared owl. Similar in appearance to Common Scops Owl but more distinctly streaked on back and with less intricate markings.
French: Petit-duc de Bruce
German: Streifenohreule
Spanish: Autillo Persa
Other common names: Striated/Bruce’s Scops-owl, Desert Screech-owl
Other common names: Striated/Bruce’s Scops-owl, Desert Screech-owl
Subspecies and Distribution:
- brucei (Hume, 1873) - E Aral Sea to Kirgizia and Tadjikistan.
- obsoletus (Cabanis, 1875) - S Turkey, N Syria, N Iraq, Turkmeniya, Uzbekistan and N Afghanistan.
- semenowi (Sarudny & Härms, 1902) - S Tadjikistan and W China (E to C Tarim Basin) S to E Afghanistan and N Pakistan.
- exiguus Mukherjee, 1958 - Israel (extinct as breeder), C & E Iraq, S Iran, Oman, S Afghanistan, W Pakistan.
A relatively small and inconspicuous owl species, the pallid scops-owl's light greyish-brown, sparsely black-streaked plumage provides good camouflage against tree-trunks and rocks. Very similar to European Scops, but paler sandy grey above without white spots on crown or hindneck, greyer below with black streaks more sharply demarcated, being the only distinctive plumage feature. Yellow iris. The head is crowned with small ear tufts, and the eyes are large and yellow.
There are four recognised subspecies, which differ in location and plumage coloration, but may display significant overlaps in range and appearance. Otus brucei brucei and Otus brucei semenowi are relatively similar, with each exhibiting a yellowish tinge to the feathers, but with the latter having a deeper ochre hue, and sometimes broader streaking. Otus brucei obsoletus is more sandy buff with sharper, narrow streaks, while Otus brucei exiguus is greyer, with weaker, more diffuse streaking below. The male pallid scops-owl makes a territorial call consisting of a long series of resonant and low-pitch, dove-like, hollow “whoop” or “whoo” notes. Both sexes also produce short barking calls. The call carries only a short distance (unlike the European Scops).
| 16-21cm/6.3-8.27", 100-120g/0.22-0.26 lbs |
| Middle East to W & C Asia. Some populations move into Arabian Peninsula, Egypt and India in winter. Partial migrant. Present all year in Iran. Summer visitor in Iraq, Oman, very scarce in winter in Southern Israel, vagrant in Bahrain and eastern province of Saudi Arabia. |
| Semi open country with trees and bushes. Arid foothills with preference for steep cliffs and gorges with small trees; also semi-deserts with tree cover; gardens in towns and palm groves. |
| Insects and spiders but also small mammals and lizards. (I know some of you are already figuring out how to get one in your houses.) |
| 4-6 eggs laid in tree cavity (often a woodpecker hole) from April - June. Incubation about 27 days. Young fledge by about 30 days. |
| Series of low, hollow dove like notes. |
| Not globally threatened and locally frequent, however use of pesticides may present a threat in some areas. |
| Occasionally hunts during the day, and has been known to take bats and insects on the wing (sounds like oysters on the half shell?). |
Pallid Scops-Owl
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Comments: 29
how many licks to the center of a tootsie roll pop? ;)
And we used to hunt for owl pellets when I lived in Massachusetts. We'd look for the whitewash (poop), too. If there was a lot of whitewash, that was definitely a feeding spot and you could count on owl pellets there.
Good article btw. :)
Thank you!
We were at an Aviary Sactuary near Lacey, WA.