Alternative names: Palau Owl, Palau Scops-Owl
- Otus podarginus
Pyrroglaux podargina
Identification
23cm. Sexually monomorphic. Smallish scops-type owl. Overall dark rufous with a finely barred facial disk, rather bold white tips to the scapulars and evenly barred, greyish-rufous and white underparts. Wings as upperparts with small white tips on the coverts and 4 ( ? ) white bars across the primaries. Faintly barred rufous tail.
Bare parts :- Bill yellow, legs dirty yellow, eye dark brown.
Distribution
Found on all islands in Palau
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species, which has previously been assigned to the genus Pyrroglaux.
Habitat
Mangrove, rainforest, and villages.
Behaviour
Has very small territories ( down to c.10 sq. m. ) so is able to build up a rather large populations. Very common. Often seen leaving roost before dusk.
Vocalizations
Wok, wok, wok, building to a peak. Can be mistaken for similar sounding Palau Fruit Dove, which also calls at night.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2022. IOC World Bird List (v 12.2) DRAFT. Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.12.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
- König, C. and F. Weick 2008. Owls of the World, second edition. Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 978-0-7136-6548-2
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Palau Scops Owl. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 17 January 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Palau_Scops_Owl
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
