- Strix hadorami
Identification
29-33 cm. Earless owl, stocky body and round head, pale, and has yellow eyes.
Distribution
Syria, Israel, northeast Egypt and Arabia.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Formerly known as Hume's Owl (Strix butleri). However recent search has shown that the recently described Omani Owl (Strix omanensis) is in fact synonym to the type specimen of Strix butleri and hat all owls previously thought to be Hume's Owl are in fact an undescribed species (Desert Owl, Strix hadorami).
Habitat
Palm groves, desert, semi-desert and rocky ravines.
Behaviour
Breeding
It nests in crevices and holes in cliffs.
Diet
Its diet includes voles, mice and large insects.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds). 2015. IOC World Bird Names (version 5.4). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2023) Desert Owl. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 28 November 2023 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Desert_Owl
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
