Oriental bay-owl

Phodilus badius

Photo by Peter Ericsson (Owl Pages)

Common name:
oriental bay-owl (en); coruja-da-baía-oriental (pt); phodile calong (fr); lechuza cornuda (es); maskeneule (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Strigiformes
Order Tytonidae

Range:
This species found in south-east Asia from Bangladesh and southern China down to the Indonesian islands of Borneo, Sumatra and Java. There was also a population in the island of Samar, in the Philippines, which apparently became extinct during the 20th century.

Size:
These birds are 23-33 cm long and weigh 255-310 g.

Habitat:
The oriental bay-owl is found in moist tropical forests and mangroves, as well as in fruit tree plantations and cultivated areas near forest edges. they are present from sea level up to an altitude of 2.200 m.

Diet:They feed on small rodents, bats, small birds, lizards, frogs, and large insects such as beetles and grasshoppers.

Breeding:
Oriental bay-owls breed in March-July. They nest in tree holes, rotten tree trunks or stumps, or cavities, where the female lays 3-5 eggs. There is no available information on the incubation and fledgling periods.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range, but is considered to be very rare throughout most of this range. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

African grass-owl

Tyto capensis

Photo by Per Holmen (Per's Birding Pages)

Common name:
African grass-owl (en); coruja-dos-campos (pt); effraie du Cap (fr); lechuza de El Cabo (es); Afrika-graseule (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Strigiformes
Family Tytonidae


Size:
These birds are 34-42 cm long and weigh 330-520 g.


Range:
This African species is patchily distributed from Ethiopia and Cameroon south to South Africa.


Habitat:
The African grass-owl is marshes and tall grasslands, but also in dry savannas and scrublands from sea level up to an altitude of 3.200 m.


Diet:
These nocturnal hunter mostly take small mammals, namely moles, rats and mice, hedgehogs, hares and bats, frogs, small birds ans insects such as beetles and termite alates.


Breeding:
African grass-owls breed in November-July. The nest is an unlined depression in the ground, placed among rank grass, with multiple tunnels through the grass branching out from the nest so that it can move around undetected by predators. The female lays 2-6 eggs, which she incubates alone for 32-42 days, while receiving food from the male. The chicks are fed by both parents and start leaving the nest 4-5 weeks after hatching, but only become able to fly after another 2-3 weeks and achieve independence 1 month later.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be locally common to uncommon. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction and degradation through ploughing, grazing, draining and burning.

Greater sooty owl

Tyto tenebricosa

Common name:

greater sooty owl (en); coruja-sombria (pt); effraie ombrée (fr); lechuza tenebroza (es); rußeule (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Strigiformes

Family Tytonidae

Range:

This species is found in the mountain rainforests of New Guinea, in the mountains of south-eastern Australia, and in Flinders Island, off the northern coast of Tasmania.

Size:

In the greater sooty owl, males tend to be smaller than females. Females are 44-51 cm long and weigh 750 g, while males are 37-43 cm long and weigh 500-700 g.

Habitat:

In Australia, this species prefers deep, wet gully forests dominated by eucalypts, occurring in drier forest only when hunting. In New Guinea they occur in lowland and mountain rainforest and Araucaria pine forests, emerging into subalpine grassland and alpine boulderfields and ridges at altitudes of up to 4000 m to hunt.

Diet:

This powerful nocturnal hunter takes some remarkably big prey, mostly arboreal mammals like the sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) and the ring-tailed possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus).

Breeding:

The breeding season of the greater sooty owl is variable, but most eggs seem to be laid in January-June. The nest is in a large hollow tree or a cave, where the female remains for several weeks before laying 1-2 dull white eggs. The eggs are incubated by the female for 42. During the whole period the female remains in the nest she is fed by the male who usually brings one large prey item per night. The chicks fledge about 3 months after hatching but continue to be dependent on its parents for another month.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is described as probably rare over its very large breeding range. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction, mostly due to logging and forest clearance for agriculture. Although there is some fragmentation of its former habitat, in some areas the rainforest is rapidly expanding. Overall the species is not considered threatened at present.