Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Ordo: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Euavialae
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Ordo: Strigiformes
Familia: Strigidae
Subfamilia: Striginae
Genus: Bubo
Species: Bubo cinerascens
Subspecies: B. c. kollmannspergeri
Name
Bubo cinerascens Guerin-Meneville, 1843
References
Revue Zoologique, par la Société Cuvierienne 6 p. 321
Vernacular names
čeština: Výr šedivý
English: Greyish Eagle-owl
suomi: Tuhkahuuhkaja
Türkçe: Boz puhu
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).
Lake Bogoria - Kenya
Description
This species is about 43 centimetres (17 in) long and weighs about 500 grams (1.1 lb).[3] Like the spotted eagle-owl, the greyish eagle-owl has mottled dark brown, buff, and white upperparts and finely barred (vermiculated) underparts giving a greyish-brown appearance. It differs from the spotted eagle-owl in having dark brown (not yellow) eyes and a brownish facial disk marked with a heavy brown circle around each eye.[4] It also has morphological differences, such as being lighter though about the same length and having shorter tarsi.
Voice
As the greyish eagle-owl was considered the northern form of the spotted eagle-owl until recently their vocalisations have not been well studied. The call of the male recorded in West Africa consisted of two clear syllables and has been rendered as "koo-whoo" where the "koo" part is rather explosive and the "whoo" is somewhat downward inflected, lower pitched and extended. This call is made every few seconds and is thus not similar to that of the spotted eagle-owl.[5]
Distribution and habitat
It is found in the northern part of Sub-Saharan Africa from Mauritania and Liberia east to Sudan and Somalia.[6] Its habitats include dry rocky deserts and open savannah, as well as lowland forests in Somalia.[3]
Biology
Roosts during the day hidden and sites used vary from rocky natural sites such as cliff crevices and boulders to bushes and trees to man-made sites. It feeds on larger insects and other large arthropods as well as vertebrates. It usually hunts from a perch, using a sit and wait technique, but may also hawk insects and sometimes bats in flight. The breeding biology is probably similar to the spotted eagle-owl. It lays 2-3 eggs in a scrape on the ground or among rocks or in a sheltered cliff site, although it will sometimes reuse the old platform-like nests of larger birds in trees.[5]
Taxonomic note
It is closely related to the spotted eagle-owl, of which is it sometimes considered the northern subspecies, Bubo africanus cinerascens.[4][6] In the area of overlap with the spotted eagle-owl in Kenya and the Horn of Africa, the two species are not known to interbreed.[3][5]
References
BirdLife International (2016). "Bubo cinerascens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T61741660A95178482. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T61741660A95178482.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
"Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
Weick, Friedhelm (2006), Owls (Strigiformes): Annotated and Illustrated Checklist, Springer, pp. 111–113, ISBN 978-3-540-35234-1
Zimmerman, Dale A.; Turner, Donald A.; Pearson, David J. (1999), Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania, Princeton University Press, pp. 128–9, 374, ISBN 978-0-691-01022-9
König, Claus; Weick, Friedhelm; Becking, Jan-Hendrick (1999). Owls A Guide to the Owls of the World. Pica Press. pp. 301–302. ISBN 1-873403-74-7.
Lepage, Denis (2003–2007), Avibase - the world bird database, retrieved Sep 22, 2007
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