The eastern grass owl (''Tyto longimembris''), also known as Chinese grass owl or Australian grass 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 family

Tytonidae 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 ...

. They feed predominantly on small rodents. Though some authorities consider this owl to be

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 organ ...

with the

African grass owl The African grass owl (''Tyto capensis'') is a species of owl in the barn owl family, Tytonidae. Description The African grass owl resembles the barn owl and has a heart shaped whitish-cream facial disc, with a narrow yellowish-buff rim which ...

, ''T. capensis'', other consider it to be a valid species.

Description

The eastern grass owl is a medium-sized owl, similar in size to 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 ...

. Adult males measure from in length, while the larger females can measure from . The wingspan is from . The female weighs while the male weighs . They have dark brown or tan upper parts with pale spots. They have black and tan bars on its wings and a very pale beak, feathered legs, and dark brown eyes. Like all ''Tyto'' owls, it has a heart-shaped facial disk with brown buff and a white bordering.

Call

The eastern grass owl's primary call is like many other tyto owls. A loud, hissing screech but the grass owl's screech is louder than a barn owl's but quieter than a masked owl's.

Hunting

Studies in parts of Australia have shown that the most common prey is the long-haired rat and the cane rat. Prey are detected from on the wing. The owl uses its long legs to penetrate dense ground cover and seize its prey.

Habitat

This owl prefers tall grasslands and swamps. Roost areas consist of flattened vegetation within systems of "tunnels" through the swamp vegetation. Nesting is in similar situations.

Distribution

Eastern grass owls live in eastern, southern and southeast

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

, parts of

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

(mainly in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

) and the western Pacific. It has also been found in the coastal islands.

Conservation status

Eastern grass owls are considered "least concern" globally, primarily because of their wide distribution. Within Australia, ''Tyto longimembris'' is considered vulnerable on the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act (1995).

References

External links

HBW species pageBirdlife species factsheet
{{Taxonbar, from=Q306919

eastern grass owl The eastern grass owl (''Tyto longimembris''), also known as Chinese grass owl or Australian grass owl, is a species of owl in the family Tytonidae. They feed predominantly on small rodents. Though some authorities consider this owl to be consp ...

Birds of East Asia Birds of South Asia Birds of Southeast Asia Birds of prey of Oceania Birds of Queensland Diurnal raptors of Australia

Taxonomy articles created by Polbot