Madagascar Red Owl
Encyclopedia
The Madagascar Red Owl, Tyto soumagnei, is an owl
in the barn owl
family
Tytonidae. It is also known as the Madagascar Grass-owl and Soumange's Owl. It is a rare resident of Madagascar
that was virtually unknown from its discovery in 1878 to its rediscovery by researchers from the World Wide Fund for Nature
in 1993. It is currently listed as vulnerable
because of habitat
loss, but information is lacking and it may have a wider range than believed. It has possibly been overlooked because of its close resemblance to the closely related Barn Owl
.
The Madagascar Red Owl resembles the cosmopolitan
Barn Owl
but is smaller (30 cm) and has orange plumage with small black spots. It is known to live in humid evergreen
forest
in the east of the island, being found in primary forest and in disturbed secondary forest (possibly even human altered open areas). It feeds on native mammal
s like tenrecs (Tenrecidae
) and tuft-tailed rat
s (as opposed to the Barn Owl, which feeds on introduced species). It nests in tree-cavities, although there is only one record of a nest
being found.
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
in the barn owl
Barn Owl
The Barn Owl is the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is also referred to as Common Barn Owl, to distinguish it from other species in the barn-owl family Tytonidae. These form one of two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Tytonidae. It is also known as the Madagascar Grass-owl and Soumange's Owl. It is a rare resident of Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
that was virtually unknown from its discovery in 1878 to its rediscovery by researchers from the World Wide Fund for Nature
World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
in 1993. It is currently listed as vulnerable
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
because of habitat
Habitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
loss, but information is lacking and it may have a wider range than believed. It has possibly been overlooked because of its close resemblance to the closely related Barn Owl
Barn Owl
The Barn Owl is the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is also referred to as Common Barn Owl, to distinguish it from other species in the barn-owl family Tytonidae. These form one of two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical...
.
The Madagascar Red Owl resembles the cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan distribution
In biogeography, a taxon is said to have a cosmopolitan distribution if its range extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. For instance, the killer whale has a cosmopolitan distribution, extending over most of the world's oceans. Other examples include humans, the lichen...
Barn Owl
Barn Owl
The Barn Owl is the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is also referred to as Common Barn Owl, to distinguish it from other species in the barn-owl family Tytonidae. These form one of two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical...
but is smaller (30 cm) and has orange plumage with small black spots. It is known to live in humid evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
in the east of the island, being found in primary forest and in disturbed secondary forest (possibly even human altered open areas). It feeds on native mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s like tenrecs (Tenrecidae
Tenrecidae
Tenrecidae is a family of mammals found on Madagascar and parts of Africa. Tenrecs are widely diverse, resembling hedgehogs, shrews, opossums, mice and even otters, as a result of convergent evolution. They occupy aquatic, arboreal, terrestrial and fossorial environments...
) and tuft-tailed rat
Eliurus
Eliurus is a genus of rodent in the family Nesomyidae.It contains the following species:* Tsingy Tufted-tailed Rat * Ankarana Special Reserve Tufted-tailed Rat...
s (as opposed to the Barn Owl, which feeds on introduced species). It nests in tree-cavities, although there is only one record of a nest
Bird nest
A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American Robin or Eurasian Blackbird, or the elaborately woven hanging nest of the...
being found.