The black-and-white owl (''Strix nigrolineata'') is a species of
owl in the family
Strigidae.
[Compare with ITIS: ]
Description
The black-and-white owl is a medium-sized owl with a round head and no ear tufts. It is between 35 and 40 cm in length and weigh between 400 and 535 grams. As for most owl species, females are usually bigger than males with an average weight of 487 g and 418 g respectively. It has a striped black-and-white breast, belly, and vent. With the exception of a black-and white striped collar, the upperparts from the crown to the tail are a sooty black. The facial disc
In ornithology, the facial disc is the concave collection of feathers on the face of some birds—most notably owls—surrounding the eyes. The concavity of the facial disc forms a circular paraboloid that collects sound waves and directs those ...
is mostly sooty black, with white "eyebrows" that extend from the bill to the collar. The beak is a yellow-orange colour, and the eyes are a reddish brown.
Chicks are downy and white.
Juveniles have a whitish face, dark brown upper-parts and a white-barred black underside.
Taxonomy
Formerly under the genus ''Ciccaba
''Strix'' is a genus of owls in the typical owl family (Strigidae), one of the two generally accepted living families of owls, with the other being the barn-owl (Tytonidae). Common names are earless owls or wood owls, though they are not the onl ...
'' which includes many neotropical species, the black-and-white owl is now classified under the genus ''Strix
Strix may refer to:
* Strix (mythology), a legendary creature of ancient Roman mythology
* ''Strix'' (bird), a genus of large "earless" wood-owls
* Strix Ltd, manufacturer of kettle controls, thermostats and water boiling elements for domestic ap ...
'' known as the "wood owls", which all share the same round head and pitch black eyes. This raptor was first reported in 1859 by Sclater. Its sister species, the black-banded owl (''Strix hulula''), while being similar, is smaller and has a darker plumage
Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...
. Plus, it occupies a different range which includes the southern tropical forests of South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
.
Habitat
The black-and-white owl is mostly found in gallery forests and rainforest
Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...
, but is also found in wet deciduous and mangrove forests, usually at an altitude between sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...
and 2400 meters. Small ponds are also often visited by this species when hunting. It usually nests in the foliage of large, tall trees such as mahogany
Mahogany is a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Unive ...
. This owl is not afraid of living near human habitations.
Distribution
Its range extends from central Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
south to the northwestern section of Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
and western Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
, a range it partially shares with another related species: the mottled owl
The mottled owl (''Strix virgata'') is a medium-sized owl found in Central and South America from Mexico to Brazil and Argentina. The head and back are mottled brown and the underparts whitish, with vertical bars on the chest and throat. The eyes ...
(''Strix virgata''). In total, it is found in 12 countries
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state (polity), state, nation, or other polity, political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, so ...
: Belize
Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...
, Colombia, Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
, 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: ''Eku ...
, El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
, Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
, Honduras
Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...
, Mexico, Nicaragua
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...
, Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
, Peru, and Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
. This bird of prey also stays faithful to its range all year long as it is a non-migratory bird.
Behaviour
Foraging and diet
This neotropical bird is a nocturnal
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite.
Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...
hunter and since most of its preys can fly, it forages mostly at the canopy level of its habitat. It will first examine its surroundings by perching on an elevated branch. Then it will make short, silent flights to catch its food. Primarily insectivorous
A robber fly eating a hoverfly
An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects.
The first vertebrate insectivores were ...
, the black-and-white owl prefers scarab beetles ( Scarabaedidae) such as dung beetle
Dung beetles are beetles that feed on feces. Some species of dung beetles can bury dung 250 times their own mass in one night.
Many dung beetles, known as ''rollers'', roll dung into round balls, which are used as a food source or breeding cha ...
s and sometimes prey upon orthoptera
Orthoptera () is an order of insects that comprises the grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets, including closely related insects, such as the bush crickets or katydids and wētā. The order is subdivided into two suborders: Caelifera – grassho ...
ns and cicadas ( Cicadidae). Bats such as the Jamaican fruit bat (''Artibeus jamaicensis'') and other small rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...
s also make up a large part of its diet. Furthermore, it can occasionally feed on smaller birds like trushes and tanagers as well as amphibian
Amphibians are tetrapod, four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the Class (biology), class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terres ...
s. It is also one of the only tropical owl species reported to capture barn swallows since those are easy to catch when roosting on nearby electric lines.
Vocalization
Its call consists of a series of rapid, guttural, low calls, followed by a short pause and a low, airy call and a faint, short hoot. Occasionally, it is shortened to just the last two notes, leaving out the opening series. Moreover, the female's call usually sounds louder than the male's and individuals make fainter "hoots" near their nest. Just like their parents, younglings can produce strident cries, but also communicate by clacking their beak.
Reproduction
When the breeding season begins in March, the monogamous
Monogamy ( ) is a form of Dyad (sociology), dyadic Intimate relationship, relationship in which an individual has only one Significant other, partner during their lifetime. Alternately, only one partner at any one time (Monogamy#Serial monogamy, ...
pair forms after the male successfully seduces the female with wing flaps and elaborated acrobatic flights. Then, before the severe downpours begin, the couple settles on an isolated tree to protect their offspring
In biology, offspring are the young creation of living organisms, produced either by a single organism or, in the case of sexual reproduction, two organisms. Collective offspring may be known as a brood or progeny in a more general way. This ca ...
from climbing predators and use epiphyte
An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...
s and flower arrangements (e.g., orchids) as their nest. While the female incubates the clutch of one or two eggs, the male goes foraging for the pair and fiercely defends the nest, even from nearby humans. Sometimes, the female will tag along with her mate when she is not coveting. The eggs are dull, whitish and weight about 33.8 g (usually 6% of the female's body mass) with an average length and width of respectively. The black-and-white owl is one of the only owl to lay a single egg which relates to the fact that clutch size lowers as a species lives closer to the Equator
The equator is a circle of latitude, about in circumference, that divides Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, halfway between the North and South poles. The term can als ...
, thus explaining its low reproductive success. After an incubation period of at least 30 days, the chicks hatch in April. They harbour white down feathers, pink feet and beak and weight around 28 g after 2 days. They first open their eyes at 14 days old as the black bars on their wings start to develop. Chicks also have a low chance of survival as they can be preyed upon by tayras, ocelot
The ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches at the shoulders and weighs between on average. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Two subspecies are recognized. It is native to the southwes ...
s, coati
Coatis, also known as coatimundis (), are members of the family Procyonidae in the genera ''Nasua'' and ''Nasuella''. They are diurnal mammals native to South America, Central America, Mexico, and the southwestern United States. The name "c ...
s, falcon
Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene.
Adult falcons ...
s and hawk
Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica.
* The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. Th ...
s.
Conservation status and threats
The black-and-white owl is classified as "Least Concern" on IUCN's Red List even if its populations are decreasing. Mexico's population in particular observed a decline of 50% in the last century which has made the species a big concern for the Partners in Flight Partners in Flight / Compañeros en Vuelo / Partenaires d’Envol is an organization launched in 1990 in response to growing concerns about declines in the populations of many land bird species, and to emphasize the conservation of birds not covered ...
association. This bird of prey's main threat is the loss of its wetland
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...
and forest habitats which are progressively converted into agricultural lands. Human proximity also causes their populations to decrease.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q863587
Ciccaba
black-and-white owl
The black-and-white owl (''Strix nigrolineata'') is a species of owl in the family Strigidae.Compare with ITIS:
Description
The black-and-white owl is a medium-sized owl with a round head and no ear tufts. It is between 35 and 40 cm in le ...
Birds of Central America
Birds of Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena
black-and-white owl
The black-and-white owl (''Strix nigrolineata'') is a species of owl in the family Strigidae.Compare with ITIS:
Description
The black-and-white owl is a medium-sized owl with a round head and no ear tufts. It is between 35 and 40 cm in le ...
black-and-white owl
The black-and-white owl (''Strix nigrolineata'') is a species of owl in the family Strigidae.Compare with ITIS:
Description
The black-and-white owl is a medium-sized owl with a round head and no ear tufts. It is between 35 and 40 cm in le ...
black-and-white owl
The black-and-white owl (''Strix nigrolineata'') is a species of owl in the family Strigidae.Compare with ITIS:
Description
The black-and-white owl is a medium-sized owl with a round head and no ear tufts. It is between 35 and 40 cm in le ...
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN