The
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
(North and South America) horned owls and the
Old World
The "Old World" is a term for Afro-Eurasia that originated in Europe , after Europeans became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia, which were previously thought of by the ...
eagle-owls make up the
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
''Bubo'', at least as traditionally described. The genus name ''Bubo'' is
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
for the
Eurasian eagle-owl
The Eurasian eagle-owl (''Bubo bubo'') is a species of eagle-owl that resides in much of Palearctic, 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, ...
.
This genus contains 19 species that are found in many parts of the world. Some of the largest living
Strigiformes are in ''Bubo''. Traditionally, only owls with
ear-tuft
Ear tufts are a collection of fur or feathers found on animals which can resemble an animal's ear or is near the animal's ear.
Cats
Ear tufts are not found on all cat breeds. The ear tufts are located on the tips of cat ears and are also known ...
s were included in this genus, but that is no longer the case.
Taxonomy
![Eagle(owl)-eye - modified](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Eagle%28owl%29-eye_-_modified.JPG)
The genus ''Bubo'' was introduced in 1805 by the French zoologist
André Duméril for the horned owls. The
type species
In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...
is the
Eurasian eagle-owl
The Eurasian eagle-owl (''Bubo bubo'') is a species of eagle-owl that resides in much of Palearctic, 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, ...
. The word ''bubo'' is
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
for the Eurasian eagle owl and was used as the specific epithet for the species by
Carl Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...
in 1758.
A
molecular phylogenetic
Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...
study published in 2019 found that species in the genera ''
Scotopelia
Fishing owls are a group of sub-Saharan African birds in the family Strigidae, the true owls. Fishing owls have traditionally been placed in the genus ''Scotopelia'', but DNA evidence suggests they should be included in genus ''Bubo'' with the h ...
'' and ''
Ketupa
Fish owls form the genus ''Ketupa'' in the owl family Strigidae. The genus contains three species.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Ketupa'' was introduced in 1831 by the French naturalist René Lesson for fish owl species from Java and India. The type sp ...
'' were embedded within the clade containing members of the genus ''Bubo''. Thus, the genus ''Bubo'' as currently defined is
paraphyletic
In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...
.
Systematics of which species to include among the horned owls is in an upheaval at present. While
Mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA or mDNA) is the DNA located in mitochondria, cellular organelles within eukaryotic cells that convert chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial D ...
(mtDNA)
cytochrome ''b'' sequence
In mathematics, a sequence is an enumerated collection of objects in which repetitions are allowed and order matters. Like a set, it contains members (also called ''elements'', or ''terms''). The number of elements (possibly infinite) is calle ...
data favors the decision by some to regard the
snowy owl
The snowy owl (''Bubo scandiacus''), also known as the polar owl, the white owl and the Arctic owl, is a large, white owl of the true owl family. Snowy owls are native to the Arctic regions of both North America and the Palearctic, breeding mos ...
as an eagle-owl
adapted
In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...
to
Arctic
The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...
conditions, moving it into ''Bubo'',
[Olsen ''et al.'' (2002)] this is not accepted by all authorities, many still preferring ''Nyctea''.
Likewise disagreement exists over the decision by some to move the four fish-owls previously in the genus ''
Ketupa
Fish owls form the genus ''Ketupa'' in the owl family Strigidae. The genus contains three species.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Ketupa'' was introduced in 1831 by the French naturalist René Lesson for fish owl species from Java and India. The type sp ...
'' provisionally into ''Bubo'' as well, which introduces a good bit of confusion. While the mtDNA cytochrome ''b'' data suggests that in this case, to make ''Bubo''
monophyletic
In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...
the ''
Scotopelia
Fishing owls are a group of sub-Saharan African birds in the family Strigidae, the true owls. Fishing owls have traditionally been placed in the genus ''Scotopelia'', but DNA evidence suggests they should be included in genus ''Bubo'' with the h ...
'' fishing owls would also need to be included there. On the other hand, the genus then becomes quite large and ill-defined, and ''Bubo'' in the expanded sense seems to consist of two distinct
clade
A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...
s. Thus, the fish and fishing owls can alternatively be united in ''Ketupa'' if some aberrant eagle-owls – at least the
barred,
spot-bellied and
Usambara eagle-owl
The Usambara eagle-owl, also called the East African nduk eagle-owl or Vosseier's eagle-owl, (''Bubo poensis vosseleri'') is a taxon of owl in the family Strigidae. It is now regarded as a subspecies of Fraser's eagle-owl (''Bubo poensis''). It i ...
s, perhaps also
Fraser's eagle-owl and maybe others – are moved into that genus too. As some enigmatic eagle-owls remain essentially unstudied and others – e.g.
Verreaux's eagle-owl
Verreaux's eagle-owl (''Bubo lacteus''), 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 ''Bubo'', it is the largest Afric ...
– are of unresolved relationships, more research is needed.
Species
The genus contains 19 extant species:
*
Snowy owl
The snowy owl (''Bubo scandiacus''), also known as the polar owl, the white owl and the Arctic owl, is a large, white owl of the true owl family. Snowy owls are native to the Arctic regions of both North America and the Palearctic, breeding mos ...
, ''Bubo scandiacus''
*
Great horned owl
The great horned owl (''Bubo virginianus''), also known as the tiger owl (originally derived from early naturalists' description as the "winged tiger" or "tiger of the air"), or the hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extrem ...
, ''Bubo virginianus''
*
Lesser horned owl
The lesser horned owl or Magellanic horned owl (''Bubo magellanicus'') is a large owl of the genus ''Bubo'' found in southern South America, extending north to the central Andes. It has traditionally been classified as a subspecies of the great h ...
, ''Bubo magellanicus''
*
Eurasian eagle-owl
The Eurasian eagle-owl (''Bubo bubo'') is a species of eagle-owl that resides in much of Palearctic, 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, ...
, ''Bubo bubo''
*
Indian eagle-owl
The Indian eagle-owl (''Bubo bengalensis''), also called the rock eagle-owl or Bengal 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 ...
, ''Bubo bengalensis''
*
Pharaoh eagle-owl
The Pharaoh eagle-owl (''Bubo ascalaphus'') is a species of owl in the family Strigidae.
It is native to Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Ara ...
, ''Bubo ascalaphus''
*
Cape eagle-owl
The Cape eagle-owl (''Bubo capensis'') is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is one of several large species of the eagle-owl genus ''Bubo''.
Range
Its range is limited to the southernmost regions of southern Africa as well as parts of ...
, ''Bubo capensis''
*
Arabian eagle-owl
The Arabian eagle-owl (''Bubo milesi'') is an owl of the southern Arabian peninsula.
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:eagle-owl, Arabian
Bubo (genus), Arabian eagle-owl
Birds described in 1886, Arabian eagle-owl
Birds of the Arabian Peninsul ...
, ''Bubo milesi''
*
Greyish eagle-owl
The greyish eagle-owl or vermiculated eagle-owl (''Bubo cinerascens'') is a rather large owl of the northern part of sub-Saharan Africa. It was previously regarded as the northern subspecies of the spotted eagle-owl (''Bubo africanus'').
Descrip ...
, ''Bubo cinerascens''
*
Spotted eagle-owl
The spotted eagle-owl (''Bubo africanus'') also known as the African spotted eagle-owl and the African eagle-owl, is a medium-sized species of owl, one of the smallest of the eagle owls. Its length is and its weight is from . It has a wingspan. ...
, ''Bubo africanus''
*
Fraser's eagle-owl, ''Bubo poensis''
**
Usambara eagle-owl
The Usambara eagle-owl, also called the East African nduk eagle-owl or Vosseier's eagle-owl, (''Bubo poensis vosseleri'') is a taxon of owl in the family Strigidae. It is now regarded as a subspecies of Fraser's eagle-owl (''Bubo poensis''). It i ...
, ''Bubo poensis vosseleri''
*
Verreaux's eagle-owl
Verreaux's eagle-owl (''Bubo lacteus''), 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 ''Bubo'', it is the largest Afric ...
, ''Bubo lacteus''
*
Shelley's eagle-owl
Shelley's eagle-owl (''Bubo shelleyi'') 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 tim ...
, ''Bubo shelleyi''
*
Barred eagle-owl
The barred eagle-owl (''Bubo sumatranus''), also called the Malay eagle-owl, is a species of eagle owl in the family Strigidae. It is a member of the large genus ''Bubo'' which is distributed on most of the world's continents. This relatively lit ...
, ''Bubo sumatranus''
*
Spot-bellied eagle-owl
The spot-bellied eagle-owl (''Bubo nipalensis''), 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 con ...
, ''Bubo nipalensis''
*
Dusky eagle-owl
The dusky eagle-owl (''Bubo coromandus'') 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 spec ...
, ''Bubo coromandus''
*
Akun eagle-owl
The akun eagle-owl (''Ketupa leucosticta'') is a species of owl in the family Strigidae, native to the African tropical rainforest.
Taxonomy
The akun eagle-owl was formally described in 1855 by the German ornithologist Gustav Hartlaub from a sp ...
, ''Bubo leucostictus''
*
Philippine eagle-owl
The Philippine eagle-owl (''Ketupa philippensis'') is a vulnerable species of owl belonging to the family (biology), family Strigidae. It is endemic to the Philippines, where it is found in lowland forests on the islands of Catanduanes, Samar ( ...
, ''Bubo philippensis''
*
Blakiston's fish owl
Blakiston's fish owl (''Bubo blakistoni''), the largest living species of owl, is a fish owl, a sub-group of eagle-owls which specialize in hunting in riparian areas. It is native to China, Japan, and the Russian Far East. This species is a par ...
, ''Bubo blakistoni''
![Great Horned Owl (North America)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Great_Horned_Owl_%28North_America%29.jpg)
Sometimes included in this genus:
*
Brown fish owl
The brown fish owl (''Ketupa zeylonensis'') 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. ...
, ''Ketupa zeylonensis''
*
Tawny fish owl
The tawny fish owl (''Ketupa flavipes'') 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 Co ...
, ''Ketupa flavipes''
*
Buffy fish owl
The buffy fish owl (''Ketupa ketupu''), 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 ...
, ''Ketupa ketupu''
*
Pel's fishing owl
Pel's fishing owl (''Scotopelia peli'') 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 ...
, ''Scotopelia peli''
*
Rufous fishing owl
The rufous fishing owl (''Scotopelia ussheri''), 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.
Taxonomy
...
, ''Scotopelia ussheri''
*
Vermiculated fishing owl
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, ...
, ''Scotopelia bouvieri''
Fossil record
Named and distinct ''Bubo'' species are:
* ''Bubo florianae'' (Late Miocene of Csákvár, Hungary, tentatively placed here)
* ''Bubo leakeyae'' (Early Pleistocene of Tanzania)
* ''Bubo binagadensis'' (Late Pleistocene of Binagady, Azerbaijan)
* ''
Bubo osvaldoi
''Bubo osvaldoi'', also known as the Cuban horned owl, is an extinct species of horned owl from Pleistocene of Cuba.
It was described by Oscar Arredondo and Storrs L. Olson in 1994 from three bones found in a cave in the Guaniguanico mountain r ...
'' (Pleistocene of Cuba)
* ''Bubo insularis'' (Pleistocene of Sardinia)
Some notable undescribed
fossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
s of prehistoric horned owls, usually quite fragmentary remains, have also been recorded:
* ''Bubo'' sp. (Late Pliocene of Senèze, France)
* ''Bubo'' sp. (Late Pliocene of Rębielice Królewskie, Poland; tentatively placed here)
* ''Bubo'' sp. (Late Pleistocene of San Josecito Cavern, Mexico)
Specimen
UMMP
The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor is home to a number of museums.
Located on the university's Central Campus are University of Michigan Museum of Natural History; the University of Michigan Museum of Art; the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology; Si ...
V31030, a Late Pliocene
coracoid
A coracoid (from Greek κόραξ, ''koraks'', raven) is a paired bone which is part of the shoulder assembly in all vertebrates except therian mammals (marsupials and placentals). In therian mammals (including humans), a coracoid process is prese ...
from the
Rexroad Formation
The Rexroad Formation is a geologic formation in Kansas. It preserves fossils dating back to the Neogene period. These fossils include two types of skunk (''Spilogale rexroadi'' and '' Brachyprotoma breviramus''), a tree bat (''Lasiurus fossil ...
of Kansas (USA), cannot be conclusively assigned to either ''Bubo'' or ''
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 ...
''. This fossil is from a
taxon
In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...
similar in size to the
great horned owl
The great horned owl (''Bubo virginianus''), also known as the tiger owl (originally derived from early naturalists' description as the "winged tiger" or "tiger of the air"), or the hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extrem ...
(''B. virginianus'') or the
great grey owl
The great grey owl (''Strix nebulosa'') (also great gray owl in American English) is a very large owl, documented as the world's largest species of owl by length. It is distributed across the Northern Hemisphere, and it is the only species in the ...
(''S. nebulosa'').
The Sinclair owl (''Bubo sinclairi'') from Late Pleistocene California may have been a
paleosubspecies
A chronospecies is a species derived from a sequential development pattern that involves continual and uniform changes from an extinct ancestral form on an evolutionary scale. The sequence of alterations eventually produces a population that is p ...
of the great horned owl, while the roughly contemporary ''Bubo insularis'' of the central and eastern
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
has been considered a
junior synonym
The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently.
* In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linna ...
of a
brown fish owl
The brown fish owl (''Ketupa zeylonensis'') 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. ...
paleosubspecies. Additional paleosubspecies are discussed on the appropriate species page.
Several presumed ''Bubo'' fossils have turned out to be from different birds. The Late Eocene/Early Oligocene eared owls ''"Bubo" incertus'' and ''"Bubo" arvernensis'' are now placed in the fossil
barn-owl
Barn-owls (family Tytonidae) are one of the two families of owls, the other being the true owls or typical owls, Strigidae. They are medium to large owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with po ...
genera ''
Nocturnavis'' and ''
Necrobyas'', respectively. ''"Bubo" leptosteus'' is now recognized as primitive owl in the genus ''
Minerva
Minerva (; ett, Menrva) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of strategic war. From the second century BC onward, the Roma ...
'' (formerly ''Protostrix''). ''"Bubo" poirreiri'' from the Late Oligocene or Early Miocene of Saint-Gérard-le-Puy in France, is now placed in ''
Mioglaux''.
On the other hand, the supposed fossil
heron
The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus ...
''"Ardea" lignitum'' from the
Late Pliocene
Late may refer to:
* LATE, an acronym which could stand for:
** Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy, a proposed form of dementia
** Local-authority trading enterprise, a New Zealand business law
** Local average treatment effect, ...
of
Plaue
Plaue is a town in the Ilm-Kreis district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the river Gera, 11 km north of Ilmenau, and 8 km southwest of Arnstadt. The former municipality Neusiß was merged into Plaue in January 2019. Plaue s ...
-Rippersroda (Germany) was apparently an owl and close to ''Bubo'' or more probably actually belongs here. Given its age – about 2 million years ago or so – it is usually included in the Eurasian eagle-owl today.
Interactions with humans
Because of their nocturnal habits, most owls do not directly interact with humans. However, in 2015, an eagle owl in
Purmerend
Purmerend () is a city and municipality in the west of the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland and in the region of West Friesland. The city is surrounded by polders, such as the Purmer, Beemster and the Wormer. The city became the tra ...
,
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, attacked some fifty humans before it was caught by a hired
falconer.
Footnotes
References
*
*
* König, Claus; Weick, Friedhelm & Becking, Jan-Hendrik (1999): ''Owls: A guide to the owls of the world.'' Yale University Press, New Haven.
*
Lambrecht, Kálmán (1933): ''Handbuch der Palaeornithologie''
andbook of Paleornithology Gebrüder Bornträger, Berlin.
n German
N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''.
History
...
* Mlíkovský, Jiří (2002)
''Cenozoic Birds of the World, Part 1: Europe'' Ninox Press, Prague.
*
*
*
Olson, Storrs L. (1985): The fossil record of birds. ''In:'' Farner, D.S.; King, J.R. & Parkes, Kenneth C. (eds.): ''Avian Biology'' 8: 79–238. Academic Press, New York.
*
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Horned Owl
Taxa named by André Marie Constant Duméril