South American Great Horned Owl
Encyclopedia
The South American Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus nacurutu, is a subspecies
of the Great Horned Owl
, Bubo virginianus. It lives in tropical South America
. It generally occurs in more open areas than the North American Great Horned Owls, and avoids dense humid forest, e.g. the Amazon Rainforest
. Unlike other subspecies of the Great Horned Owl, the eyes of the South American Horned Owl are amber rather than yellow. Although the largest owl in its range, it is a relatively small horned owl
.
Two additional taxa from the Great Horned Owl superspecies
are native to South America: B. v. nigrescens of the north Andean highlands and B. (v.) magellanicus of southern and west-central South America. The latter is distinctive and may come into contact with either the South American Horned Owl (in Argentina
/Bolivia
) or B. v. nigrescens (in Peru
), and is now commonly regarded as a valid species, the Magellanic Horned Owl
. Early authorities suggested the South American Great Horned Owl was a valid species with nigrescens and magellanicus as subspecies
, but this is not supported by any recent authorities, although the South American Great Horned Owl in itself is relatively distinctive compared to nigrescens, magellanicus and the various North American subspecies of the Great Horned Owl.
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the Great Horned Owl
Great Horned Owl
The Great Horned Owl, , also known as the Tiger Owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an adaptable bird with a vast range and is the most widely distributed true owl in the Americas.-Description:...
, Bubo virginianus. It lives in tropical South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. It generally occurs in more open areas than the North American Great Horned Owls, and avoids dense humid forest, e.g. the Amazon Rainforest
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
. Unlike other subspecies of the Great Horned Owl, the eyes of the South American Horned Owl are amber rather than yellow. Although the largest owl in its range, it is a relatively small horned owl
Horned owl
The American horned owls and the Old World eagle-owls make up the genus Bubo, at least as traditionally described. This genus, depending on definition, contains about one or two dozen species of typical owls and is found in many parts of the world. Some of the largest living Strigiformes are in...
.
Two additional taxa from the Great Horned Owl superspecies
Superspecies
A superspecies is a group of at least two more or less distinctive species with approximately parapatric distributions. Not all species complexes, whether cryptices or ring species are superspecies, and vice versa, but many are...
are native to South America: B. v. nigrescens of the north Andean highlands and B. (v.) magellanicus of southern and west-central South America. The latter is distinctive and may come into contact with either the South American Horned Owl (in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
/Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
) or B. v. nigrescens (in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
), and is now commonly regarded as a valid species, the Magellanic Horned Owl
Magellanic Horned Owl
The Lesser Horned Owl or Magellanic Horned Owl is a large owl of the genus Bubo found in southern South America, extending north to the central Andes...
. Early authorities suggested the South American Great Horned Owl was a valid species with nigrescens and magellanicus as subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
, but this is not supported by any recent authorities, although the South American Great Horned Owl in itself is relatively distinctive compared to nigrescens, magellanicus and the various North American subspecies of the Great Horned Owl.