The Moluccan masked owl (''Tyto sororcula''), also known as the lesser masked owl, 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
barn owl
The barn owl (''Tyto alba'') is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds, being found almost everywhere except for the polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himalaya ...
family.
It is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to the south
Moluccas
The Maluku Islands (; Indonesian: ''Kepulauan Maluku'') or the Moluccas () are an archipelago in the east of Indonesia. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located eas ...
of
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
. Some taxonomists consider this species to be conspecific with the
Australian masked owl
The Australian masked owl (''Tyto novaehollandiae'') is a barn owl of Southern New Guinea and the non-desert areas of Australia.
Taxonomy
Described subspecies of ''Tyto novaehollandiae'' include:
* ''T. n. calabyi'' I.J. Mason, 1983, (southern ...
.
References
Moluccan masked owl
Birds of the Maluku Islands
Moluccan masked owl
Moluccan masked owl
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN
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