The band-bellied owl (''Pulsatrix melanota'') is a species of

owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

in the family

Strigidae The true owls or typical owls (family Strigidae) are one of the two generally accepted families of owls, the other being the barn owls (Tytonidae). This large family comprises 230 living or recently extinct species in 24 genera. The typical owl ...

. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia,

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

Taxonomy and systematics

The band-bellied owl may form a superspecies with

tawny-browed owl The tawny-browed owl (''Pulsatrix koeniswaldiana'') is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. Taxonomy and systematics The tawny-browed owl may form a superspecies with band-bellied owl (''Pu ...

(''Pulsatrix koeniswaldiana''). It has been suggested that they are

conspecific Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a biochemical variation to occur in a particular species. Biochemist Linus Pauling stated that "Biological specificity is the set of characteristics of living organis ...

but they have different morphology and vocalizations.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 August 2021. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved August 24, 2021Holt, D. W., R. Berkley, C. Deppe, P. L. Enríquez, J. L. Petersen, J. L. Rangel Salazar, K. P. Segars, K. L. Wood, E. de Juana, and J. S. Marks (2020). Band-bellied Owl (''Pulsatrix melanota''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.babowl1.01 retrieved September 7, 2021 The band-bellied owl has two subspecies, the nominate ''P. m. melanota'' and ''P. m. philoscia''.

Description

The band-bellied owl is fairly large, ranging from long. An analysis of the weight of 13 birds of both sexes showed a range of and an average of . The adult has a dark brown facial disk and white "brows" over dark reddish brown eyes. Its upperparts are dark chocolate brown with scattered buffy-white spots. The tail is also dark brown, with thin white bars. The upper breast is reddish brown with buff barring. The rest of the underparts are white to creamy with reddish brown barring. The juvenile's plumage has not been described.

Distribution and habitat

The nominate subspecies of band-bellied owl is found on the eastern slope of the Andes from central Colombia south through Ecuador and Peru. ''P. m. philoscia'' is found from there to west-central Bolivia. In elevation it ranges from about . It primarily inhabits the interior of humid

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial ...

and foothills rainforest but is also found on forest edges and in clearings with scattered trees.

Behavior

Feeding

The band-bellied owl is nocturnal. Its diet is poorly studied but is known to include large insects.

Breeding

Though there is no published information on the band-bellied owl's breeding phenology, it is presumed to nest in natural tree cavities.

Vocalization

The band-bellied owl's vocalizations are also poorly known. It is " id to give a short, deep trill followed by fast burst of popping notes", and "deep, muffled hoots" have been recorded in Peru. The sexes perform duets.

Status

The IUCN has assessed the band-bellied owl as being of Least Concern. However, the species is poorly known and "could be threatened by habitat loss".

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q516398

band-bellied owl The band-bellied owl (''Pulsatrix melanota'') is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Taxonomy and systematics The band-bellied owl may form a superspecies with tawny-browed owl (''Pul ...

Birds of the Yungas

Taxonomy articles created by Polbot