| Fraser's eagle-owl | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Strigidae |
| Genus: | Ketupa |
| Species: | K. poensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Ketupa poensis (Fraser, 1854) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Fraser's eagle-owl (Ketupa poensis) is a species of African owl in the family Strigidae. It is named after the British zoologist Louis Fraser.
Fraser's eagle-owl was formally described in 1854 by British zoologist and collector Louis Fraser based on a specimen collected on the island of Bioko (formerly Fernando Po) off the coast of West Africa. Fraser placed the owl in the genus Bubo and coined the binomial name Bubo poensis. [3] The specific name poensis is from the locality Fernando Po. [4] Fraser's eagle-owl is now one of twelve species placed in the genus Ketupa that was introduced in 1831 by the French naturalist René Lesson. [5] [6]
Two subspecies are recognised: [6]
The subspecies K. p. vosseleri has sometimes been treated as a separate species, the Usambara eagle-owl. [6] [7]
Fraser's eagle-owl is a relatively small species of eagle-owl that has rather "fluffy" ear-tufts and a facial disc with a distinct dark rim. The upperparts are rufous and buffy brown, barred with darker bars, the pale scapulars have dark-edged outer webs which show as a series of pale dots across the shoulder. The flight and tail feathers have narrow light and dark bars. The underparts are pale rufous shading to whitish on the belly and undertail coverts. Total length is 39–42 cm (15–17 in), with the females being larger than males. [8] Compared with the nominate the subspecies K. p. vosseleri has heavier blotching on the breast and more widely spaced barring on the underparts. [9]
The territorial song of the male Fraser's eagle-owl is a rapid, stuttering and long deep, guttural trill which has been said to resemble the noise made by an electricity generator. There is also a two syllable hoot, which is stereotypically owl-like, with the second syllable being higher pitched and more whistled. The double hoot is repeated at intervals of 3–4 seconds, and to the listener familiar with it, similar to the hoot of the European tawny owl. Another call, which is given by both sexes, is a single soft mewing "wooh". They snap their bills to communicate, as do many owls. [8] The calls of K. p. vosseleri are not significantly different to those of the nominate form. [10]
It is widely spread across the African tropical rainforest; [8] also found on Bioko. [11] Their habitat is primarily forest, forest clearings, and cardamom plantations. They range from sea-level up to about 1,600 m (5,200 ft), in Cameroon. [8]
Like most owls Fraser's eagle-owl is a nocturnal bird, roosting during the day hidden by leaves, about 40 m (130 ft) above the ground. The roost site is often located by small, diurnal birds which mob the owl. The birds stop roosting at dusk and become active. Singing is most often in the early evening and just after dusk, but they will also sing just before dawn. [11] Its main prey is small mammals, such as mice, squirrels and galagos, and it also takes birds, frogs, reptiles, insects and other arthropods as well as occasionally feeding on fruit. [8]
The breeding biology of Fraser's eagle-owl is little known. In Gabon they are reported as singing in June–September but breeding seems to take place throughout the year, apparently varying geographically with egg-laying being recorded in February in Liberia, through to December in Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo. As nestlings have been found on the ground then it has been suggested that Fraser's eagle-owl may nest on the ground; however, there has been at least one record of a nestling observed in a tree cavity. The eggs are white with no markings. The juveniles are apparently dependent on the adults for a long time and retain their juvenile plumage for about a year. [8]
The American horned owls and the Old World eagle-owls make up the genus Bubo, at least as traditionally described. The genus name Bubo is Latin for owl.
The Eurasian eagle-owl is a species of eagle-owl that resides in much of Eurasia. It is also called the Uhu and it is occasionally abbreviated to just the eagle-owl in Europe. It is one of the largest species of owl, and females can grow to a total length of 75 cm (30 in), with a wingspan of 188 cm, with males being slightly smaller. This bird has distinctive ear tufts, with upper parts that are mottled with darker blackish colouring and tawny. The wings and tail are barred. The underparts are a variably hued buff, streaked with darker colouring. The facial disc is not very defined and the orange eyes are distinctive.
The brown fish owl is a fish owl species in the family known as typical owls, Strigidae. It is native from Turkey to South and Southeast Asia. Due its wide distribution it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It inhabits forests and wooded wetlands. Of the four living species of fish owl, it is the most widely distributed, most common and best-studied. It occupies a range of over 7,000 km (4,300 mi).
Blakiston's fish owl, the largest living species of owl, is a fish owl, a sub-group of eagle-owls that specialize in hunting in riparian areas. It is native to China, Japan, and the Russian Far East. This species is a part of the family known as typical owls (Strigidae), which contains most species of owl. Blakiston's fish owl and three other piscivorous owls are placed with some eagle-owls in the genus Ketupa. Its habitat is riparian forest with large, old trees for nest sites that is near lakes, rivers, springs, and shoals that do not freeze in winter. Henry Seebohm named this bird after the English naturalist Thomas Blakiston, who collected the original specimen in Hakodate on Hokkaidō, Japan in 1883.
Louis Fraser was a British zoologist and collector. In his early years, Fraser was curator of the Museum of the Zoological Society of London.
The spot-bellied eagle-owl, also known as the forest eagle-owl is a large bird of prey with a formidable appearance. It is a forest-inhabiting species found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. This species is considered part of a superspecies with the barred eagle-owl, which looks quite similar but is allopatric in distribution.
The Philippine eagle-owl is a vulnerable species of owl belonging to the family Strigidae. It is endemic to the Philippines, where it is found in lowland forests on the islands of Catanduanes, Samar, Bohol, Mindanao, Luzon, Leyte and possibly Sibuyan. The Philippine eagle-owl feeds on rodents and amphibians. Due to its reliance on living in large lowland forests, forest conservation is important in order to maintain populations of the Philippine eagle-owl, which is becoming increasingly vulnerable to going extinct. The Philippine eagle-owl was previously listed as endangered, but due to destruction of lowland habitat and possible hunting, the eagle-owl has since been adjusted to the vulnerability of extinction.
Verreaux's eagle-owl, also commonly known as the milky eagle owl or giant eagle owl, is a member of the family Strigidae. This species is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa. A member of the genus Ketupa, it is the largest African owl, measuring up to 66 cm (26 in) in total length. This eagle-owl is a resident primarily of dry, wooded savanna. Verreaux's eagle-owl is mainly grey in color and is distinguishable from other large owls by its bright pink eyelids, a feature shared with no other owl species in the world.
The Bengal eagle-owl, also widely known as the Indian eagle-owl or rock eagle-owl, is a large horned owl species native to hilly and rocky scrub forests in the Indian Subcontinent. It is splashed with brown and grey, and has a white throat patch with black small stripes. It was earlier treated as a subspecies of the Eurasian eagle-owl. It is usually seen in pairs. It has a deep resonant booming call that may be heard at dawn and dusk.
The African wood owl or Woodford's owl, is a typical owl from the genus Strix in the family Strigidae which is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Cape eagle-owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is one of several large species of the eagle-owl genus Bubo.
The dusky eagle-owl is an owl species in the family Strigidae that is widespread in South and Southeast Asia. The type specimen used to describe the species was collected on the Coromandel Coast, which was used for the specific epithet. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The species's extent of occurrence is estimated at 9,250,000 km2 (3,570,000 sq mi). However, volunteer generated databases such as eBird.org suggest that the available extent of occurrence is a vast over-estimate.
The akun eagle-owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae, native to the African tropical rainforest.
Shelley's eagle-owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. Despite its large size, it is a very little-known, rarely studied owl that occurs in very small numbers. A specimen was photographed in the wild for the first time on 16 October 2021 in the Atewa Range Forest Reserve in southeastern Ghana.
The barred eagle-owl, also called the Malay eagle-owl, is a species of eagle owl in the family Strigidae. It is a member of the large genus Ketupa which is distributed on most of the world's continents. This relatively little-known species is found from the southern Malay Peninsula down a string of several of the larger southeast Asian islands to as far as Borneo. It forms a superspecies with the physically similar but larger spot-bellied eagle-owl, although the two species appear to be allopatric in distribution.
The Usambara eagle-owl, also called the East African nduk eagle-owl or Vosseier's eagle-owl, is a taxon of owl in the family Strigidae. It is now regarded as a subspecies of Fraser's eagle-owl. It is endemic to the Usambara Mountains in Tanga Region of Tanzania.
The tawny fish owl is a fish owl species in the family known as typical owls, Strigidae. It is native from southern Nepal to Bangladesh, Vietnam and China. Due to its wide geographical distribution, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Ketupa is a genus of owls in the family Strigidae. The genus formerly contained just three species, the fish owls but based on the results from a genetic study published in 2020, the generic boundaries were altered. The genus now contains twelve species, nine of which were formerly placed in the genus Bubo.
The buffy fish owl, also known as the Malay fish owl, is a fish owl in the family Strigidae. It is native to Southeast Asia and lives foremost in tropical forests and wetlands. Due to its wide distribution and assumed stable population, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2004.
Pel's fishing owl is a large species of owl in the family Strigidae, found in Africa. It lives near rivers and lakes, and feeds nocturnally on fish and frogs snatched from the surface of lakes and rivers. The species prefers slow-moving rivers with large, overhanging trees to roost in and forage from. It nests in hollows and the forks of large trees. Though as many as two eggs are laid, often only one chick is raised.
