Brown boobook

Brown boobook
In Purbasthali, West Bengal, India
CITES Appendix II [1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Strigiformes
Family: Strigidae
Genus: Ninox
Species:
N. scutulata
Binomial name
Ninox scutulata
(Raffles, 1822)

The brown boobook (Ninox scutulata), also known as the brown hawk-owl, is a typical owl species. It has dark brown upperparts, whitish underparts with reddish-brown streaking, and a barred tail. It is a resident breeder in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, southern China and western Indonesia.

Taxonomy

The brown boobook was formally described in 1822 by Stamford Raffles from a specimen collected in Sumatra under the binomial name Strix scutulata.[2] The specific epithet is from Latin scutulatus meaning "diamond-shaped".[3] The brown boobook is now placed with the other boobooks in the genus Ninox that was introduced by Brian Houghton Hodgson in 1837.[4][5]

Nine subspecies are recognised:[5]

Description

Brown boobook in Phuket, Thailand

The brown boobook is a medium-sized owl with a length of 32 cm (13 in). It has a hawk-like shape due to its long tail and lack of a distinct facial disk. The upperparts are dark brown, with a barred tail. The underparts are whitish with reddish-brown streaking, although the subspecies found in the Andaman Islands has dark brown underparts. The eyes are large and yellow. Sexes are similar.[6] The call is a repeated low soft, musical oo-uk ...ooo-uk.. .

Distribution and habitat

The brown boobook is a resident breeder in most of tropical south Asia from the Middle East to south China. Its habitat is well-wooded country and forest. It lays three to five eggs in a tree hole.[1]

There are two records of the brown boobook in the western hemisphere: an individual photographed on St. Paul Island, Alaska, on August 27, 2007,[7] and a dead owl found on Kiska Island in 2008.[8]

The brown boobook is common in towns and cities like Colombo, Sri Lanka, as well as suburban areas close to buildings.

Behaviour and ecology

The brown boobook is nocturnal but it can often be located by the small birds that mob it while it is roosting in a tree. It feeds mainly on large insects, frogs, lizards, small birds, and mice. It may be heard at dusk and dawn.

References

  1. 1 2 3 BirdLife International (2021). "Ninox scutulata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021 e.T22725643A200685229. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22725643A200685229.en.
  2. ↑ Raffles, T.S. (1822). "Second part of the descriptive catalogue of a zoological collection made in the Island of Sumatra and its vicinity". Transactions of the Linnean Society of London. 13 (2): 277–340 [280]. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.1821.tb00065.x.
  3. ↑ Jobling, J.A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 352. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  4. ↑ Hodgson, B.H. (1837). "Indication of a new genus belonging to the Strigine family, with description of the new species and type". Madras Journal of Literature and Science. 5: 23–25.
  5. 1 2 Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P., eds. (2021). "Owls". IOC World Bird List Version 11.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  6. ↑ Kennedy, R. (2000). A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines. Oxford: OUP Oxford. p. 180. ISBN 978-0-19-854668-9. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  7. ↑ Brown Hawk Owl: A Reference for North and Central American Owls
  8. ↑ Bond, A.; Jones, I.L. (June 2010). "A Brown Hawk-owl (Ninox scutulata) from Kiska Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska". Western Bird. 41 (2): 107–110.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: year (link)

Further reading

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