| Karthala scops owl | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Strigidae |
| Genus: | Otus |
| Species: | O. pauliani |
| Binomial name | |
| Otus pauliani Benson, 1960 | |
The Karthala scops owl (Otus pauliani), also known as the Grand Comore scops owl or Comoro scops owl, is a small scops owl endemic to the island of Grande Comore in the Comoro Islands.
The Karthala scops owl was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the Madagascar scops owl (Otus rutilus), but with the other Comoro Islands scops owls, it is now regarded as a separate species. [3]
The Karthala scops owl lacks ear-tufts and comes in two colour forms, a light morph and a dark morph. The light morph is dark greyish-brown on the upperparts with fine barring and pale spots along the scapulars. The underparts are reddish-buff with a dense pattern of fine barring on the flight feathers and tail. The dark morph is overall dark chocolate brown but no specimen of a dark morph individual has been taken. It measures approximately 20 cm (7.9 in) in length and the wingspan is 45 cm (18 in). [4]
Its call is a whistled "toot", which is given repeatedly with one second intervals. [5]
Endemic to the island of Grande Comore, the Karthala scops owl is found only on Mount Karthala, an active volcano. Here it inhabits the montane forest, some secondary growth and the tree-heath above the forest. [4]
Nocturnal and very territorial, the Karthala scops owl will approach an imitation of its call, otherwise almost unknown. It has relatively weak talons so probably feeds on insects and other invertebrates. It is thought to nest in tree cavities. [4]
It has an estimated population of 2,000. It is classified as endangered due to it being restricted to such a small area, which is being rapidly deforested. [6]
The collared scops owl is an owl which is a resident breeder in south Asia from northern Pakistan, northern India, Nepal, Bangladesh, the Himalayas east to south China, and Taiwan. It is partially migratory, with some birds wintering in India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. This species was formerly considered to be included within what is now separated as the Indian scops owl.
The Indian scops owl is a species of owl native to South Asia.
The Comoro Islands or the Comoros are an archipelago of volcanic islands situated off the southeastern coast of Africa, to the east of Mozambique and northwest of Madagascar. The islands are politically divided between the Union of the Comoros, a sovereign country, and Mayotte, an Overseas Department of France.
The Philippine scops owl is a common owl, endemic to the Philippines, belonging to the family of the typical owls Strigidae. Other common names include "Otus Whitehead", "Whitehead scops owl" and "Luzon lowland scops owl". Everett's scops owl and Negros scops owls were formerly considered conspecific but are now classified as separate species.
Mount Karthala or Karthola is an active volcano and the highest point of the Comoros at 2,361 m (7,746 ft) above sea level. It is the southernmost and larger of the two shield volcanoes forming Grande Comore island, the largest island in the nation of Comoros. The Karthala volcano is very active, having erupted more than 20 times since the 19th century. Frequent eruptions have shaped the volcano's 3 km by 4 km summit caldera, but the island has largely escaped broad destruction. Eruptions on April 17, 2005 and May 29, 2006 ended a period of quiet.
This article is one of a series providing information about endemism among birds in the world's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds.
The Moheli scops owl is a scops owl endemic to the island of Mohéli, one of the Comoro Islands.
The Anjouan scops owl is an owl endemic to the island of Anjouan in the Comoro Islands.
The African scops owl is a small owl which is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Flores scops owl is an owl endemic to the island of Flores, Indonesia. It is threatened by habitat loss. This owl is around 19–21 cm from head to tail. They are a forest dwelling owl that is smallish in size. Some 250–2,499 individuals are estimated to be extant in the wild, dwindling due to habitat loss.
The Sunda scops owl is a small brown owl native to the Sunda Islands.
Wallace's scops owl is endemic to the Sumbawa and Flores islands, in the Lesser Sundas chain of Indonesia. It is not rare in most of its habitat and has no subspecies except for the nominate. It is also known as the Lesser Sunda scops owl. It is named after Alfred Russel Wallace, a British naturalist, explorer, geographer, and biologist.
The Mantanani scops owl, is a small owl in the scops-owl genus Otus found on small islands between Borneo and the Philippines. It is listed by the IUCN as "near threatened" because its range is limited with its population being fragmented on several different islands, and its forest habitat is being degraded by ongoing logging and clearance.
The São Tomé scops owl is a species of owl in the true owl family, Strigidae. It is endemic to São Tomé Island, part of São Tomé and Príncipe, in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa.
The Mayotte scops owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is endemic to the island of Mayotte in the Comoros.
The Pemba scops owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is endemic to Pemba Island which is part of and off the coast of Tanzania.
The Madagascar scops owl, also known as the Malagasy scops owl or Rainforest scops owl, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found throughout Madagascar, now that is has recently been lumped with the Torotoroka scops owl, with which it was long considered a separate species from. The nominate O. r. rutilus is referred to as Rainforest scops owl.
The Comoros forests is a terrestrial ecoregion which covers the Comoro Islands, which lie in the Mozambique Channel between Madagascar and East Africa. These include four main islands: Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli, of the Union of the Comoros, and Mayotte, a department and region of France.
The Socotra scops owl is a small owl endemic to the island of Socotra, Yemen.
The Cyprus scops owl is a small owl endemic to Cyprus.
