The fearful owl (''Asio solomonensis'') is a medium-sized owl endemic to the

Solomon Islands archipelago The Solomon Islands (archipelago) is an island group in the western South Pacific Ocean, north-east of Australia. The archipelago is in the Melanesian subregion and bioregion of Oceania and forms the eastern boundary of the Solomon Sea. The ...

. It is generally seen at elevations of up to 800 m above sea level, where it is found in tall lowland or hill forests.

Description

The fearful owl is a large forest owl growing to a length of about . It has a rufous facial disk and distinct white eyebrows. The inner edge of the facial disk is also white. It is usually mottled brown with deep ochre underparts and blackish streaks. This species may be confused with the

Solomon hawk owl The Solomons boobook has been split into the following species: * West Solomons owl, ''Athene jacquinoti'' * Guadalcanal owl, ''Athene granti'' * Malaita owl, ''Athene malaitae'' * Makira owl The Makira owl (''Athene roseoaxillaris''), also known ...

, although the latter is slightly smaller and more slender. It is also similar in appearance to the laughing owl, which is now extinct.The Hawk Conservancy Trust
/ref> Its call is similar to a clear human scream, increasing in volume and tone and emitted in a series, each pulse being repeated at intervals of ten seconds.

Distribution and habitat

The fearful owl is endemic to the island of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea and to Choiseul Island and to

Santa Isabel Island Santa Isabel Island (also known as Isabel, Ysabel and Mahaga) is the longest in Solomon Islands, the third largest in terms of surface area, and the largest in the group of islands in Isabel Province. Location and geographic data Choiseul lies t ...

in the Solomon Islands. It is found in old-growth lowland and hill forest, usually in primary forest but also sometimes in nearby secondary forest and woodland edges to at least above sea level.

Behaviour

Though generally nesting in tree holes and cracks, nests of the fearful owl have been found on the

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 ...

-covered branches of large

fig trees ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family (biology), family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few spe ...

(''Ficus'' spp.), both in primary forest and close to the forest edge and near gardens.

Status

The fearful owl preys on phalangers, especially the

northern common cuscus The northern common cuscus (''Phalanger orientalis''), also known as the gray cuscus, is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae native to northern New Guinea and adjacent smaller islands, but is now also found in the Bismarck Archipel ...

. Overhunting of the northern common cuscus may be threatening the fearful owl, although habitat loss due to logging is the primary cause of population decline.

References

External links

BirdLife Species Factsheet.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1004717 fearful owl Birds of Bougainville Island Birds of the Solomon Islands Owls of Oceania fearful owl Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN