Vermiculated fishing owl

Last updated

Vermiculated fishing owl
ScotopeliaBoeveriKeulemans.jpg
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Strigiformes
Family: Strigidae
Genus: Scotopelia
Species:
S. bouvieri
Binomial name
Scotopelia bouvieri
Sharpe, 1875

The vermiculated fishing owl (Scotopelia bouvieri) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found within riverine forest in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, and Nigeria. This species was first described by the British zoologist Richard Bowdler Sharpe in 1875 and named in honour of the French naturalist Eugène Louis Bouvier.

Contents

Description

The vermiculated fishing owl is a large earless owl with a total length of 46 to 51 cm (18 to 20 in). The facial disc is a pale reddish-brown with an inconspicuous darker brown rim. The eyes are dark brown and the bill yellowish-brown with a darker tip. The crown is streaked with dark brown. The upper parts are cinnamon-brown finely marked with dark brown vermiculations. Across the shoulders, the outer webs of the feathers are whitish making a pale horizontal streak. The flight feathers and the tail feathers are barred. The underparts are whitish, heavily marked with dark streaks. The underwing and undertail coverts and the thighs are whitish and unstreaked. The legs and feet are yellow and unfeathered. [3]

Distribution and habitat

The vermiculated fishing owl is endemic to a large area of tropical west central Africa extending from southern Nigeria in the west to South Sudan in the east and northern Angola to the south. This bird is non-migratory. [4] Its habitat is gallery forests along rivers that are at least 10 m (33 ft) wide as well as pools and flooded areas in forests, and it sometimes occurs away from water. [3]

Behaviour

The vermiculated fishing owl is nocturnal and fishes from a perch on a low branch beside a large river, snatching fish from the water and also feeding on frogs, crabs, small mammals and birds. [3] In many places, crustaceans may be the most frequently eaten food. It roosts during the day in a tree near the river. [3] [5] In southern Nigeria its favourite food appears to be Clarias catfish which have primitive lungs and rise to the surface periodically to breathe. [6]

Its voice is a low, croaking hoot, followed by four to eight staccato notes. A pair of owls often sing in duet, and being a fairly common species, several pairs of owls can sometimes be heard from the same locality. [3] [5]

Breeding takes place from May to at least October and possibly later. The courtship involves much vocal duetting and the nesting site may be a pre-existing large stick nest. Little is known of the bird's breeding biology but this is probably similar to that of Pel's fishing owl (Scotopelia peli). The young are slow to mature. [3]

Status

The vermiculated fishing owl has a very wide range in tropical west central Africa amounting to a total area of about 3,333,000 square kilometres (1,287,000 sq mi). Within this range the bird seems relatively common and the population trend stable, so the international Union for Conservation of Nature lists its conservation status as being of "least concern". [4]

Related Research Articles

Black-winged red bishop Species of bird from tropical Africa

The black-winged red bishop, formerly known in southern Africa as the fire-crowned bishop, is a resident breeding bird species in tropical Africa from Senegal to Sudan and south to Angola, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Blue-headed coucal Species of bird

The blue-headed coucal is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is native to tropical central Africa where its typical habitat is swamps, river banks, forest edges and generally wet locations. It is a common bird with a wide range, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".

Akun eagle-owl Species of owl

The Akun eagle-owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae, native to the African tropical rainforest.

Frasers eagle-owl Species of owl

Fraser's eagle-owl is a species of African owl in the family Strigidae. It is named after the British zoologist Louis Fraser.

Shelleys eagle-owl Species of owl

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.

Maned owl Species of owl

The maned owl or the Akun scops owl, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae that is endemic to Africa. It is the only species in genus Jubula.

Bare-shanked screech owl Species of owl

The bare-shanked screech owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is a large owl that feeds at night in forests and lives in a family size group, even during breeding season. The owl's range is only in Costa Rica, Panama, and far northwestern Colombia. The owl preys on large insects, shrews, and small rodents.

Pels fishing owl Species of owl

Pel's fishing owl is a large species of owl in the family Strigidae. The species is found in Africa and lives near rivers and lakes. It 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 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.

Rufous fishing owl Species of owl

The rufous fishing owl, rufous-backed fishing-owl or Ussher's fishing owl, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is endemic to west Africa, where it is a highly localised resident along forest rivers.

Brown-hooded kingfisher Species of bird

The brown-hooded kingfisher is a species of bird in the subfamily Halcyoninae, the tree kingfishers. It has a brown head and blackish and turquoise wings. It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa, living in woodland, scrubland, forest edges, and also suburban areas. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as being of least concern.

Rufous-tailed palm thrush Species of bird

The rufous-tailed palm thrush is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae.

White-browed robin-chat Species of bird

The white-browed robin-chat, also known as Heuglin's robin, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. Found in east, central and southern Africa, its natural habitats include riverine forest and thickets, and it is also found near humans. The IUCN classifies it as a least-concern species.

Swamp boubou Species of bird

The swamp boubou, also known as the Gabon boubou, is a species of bird in the Malaconotidae or bushshrike family. It is native to western and southern Central Africa. In the north of their range, savannah thickets constitute an important part of their habitat, while in the south they are strongly associated with river systems and marshes, for which they are named. The pair bond appears to be maintained by duetting, which in the south is generally synchronous or overlapping. It is most similar to L. major major, with which it perhaps hybridizes, but the underpart plumage is immaculate white, while the female contributes a ratchet-like note to the duet.

Brazzas martin Passerine bird of the swallow family from central Africa

Brazza's martin is a passerine bird in the swallow family, Hirundinidae. It is 12 cm (4.25 in) long with grey-brown upperparts, heavily black-streaked white underparts, and a brownish tint to the breast plumage. The sexes are similar, but juvenile birds have more diffuse breast streaking and reddish-brown edges to the feathers of the back and wings. The song consists of a series of short notes of increasing frequency, followed by a complex buzz that is sometimes completed by a number of clicks.

Brown-eared woodpecker Species of bird

The brown-eared woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is native to the African tropical rainforest. There are two subspecies; P. c. caroli in the eastern part of its range and P. c. arizela, present from Guinea-Bissau in the west to Nigeria in the east. This bird has a wide range and is a common species in some areas, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".

Yellow-crested woodpecker Species of bird

The yellow-crested woodpecker, also known as the golden-crowned woodpecker, is a species of bird in the family Picidae. Some taxonomic authorities place this species in Dendropicos. Its typical habitat is wet tropical forest and it is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

Hairy-breasted barbet Species of bird

The hairy-breasted barbet is a species of bird in the family Lybiidae. It is found throughout the Africa tropical rainforest.

The rufous-bellied helmetshrike or Gabon helmetshrike is a passerine bird belonging to the Vanga family, Vangidae. It inhabits tropical forest in Central Africa. It is sometimes included within the chestnut-bellied helmetshrike of West Africa.

Luzon hawk-owl Species of owl

The Luzon hawk-owl or Luzon boobook is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is endemic to the Philippines where it lives in forests. It is a brown and white mottled bird and males and females look much alike.

Vermiculated screech owl Species of owl

The vermiculated screech owl, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2018). "Scotopelia bouvieri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T22689048A130158713. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22689048A130158713.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 König, Claus; Weick, Friedhelm; Becking, Jan-Hendrik (2010). Owls of the World. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 349. ISBN   978-1-4081-3578-5.
  4. 1 2 "Vermiculated Fishing-owl Scotopelia bouvieri". BirdLife International. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
  5. 1 2 "Vermiculated Fishing-owl (Scotopelia bouvieri)". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
  6. Turk, Anthony (2000). "Fishing Owls at Agenbode, Nigeria". African Bird Club Bulletin. September (2): 107–108. doi: 10.5962/p.309608 .