Strix (genus)
Encyclopedia
- "Ptynx" redirects here. This is also an invalid name for the bird genus AnhingaAnhingaThe Anhinga , sometimes called Snakebird, Darter, American Darter, or Water Turkey, is a water bird of the warmer parts of the Americas. The word "anhinga" comes from the Brazilian Tupi language and means devil bird or snake bird.It is a cormorant-like bird with an average body length of , a...
and the net-winged insect genus Neuroptynx.
Strix is a genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of owl
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...
s. They belong to the typical owl
Typical owl
True owl or Typical owl are one of the two generally accepted families of Owls, the other being the barn owls . The Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy unites the Caprimulgiformes with the owl order; here, the typical owls are a subfamily Strigidae...
family Strigidae, one of the two generally accepted living families of owls, with the other being the barn-owls (Tytonidae). Common names are earless owls or wood owls though they are not the only owls without ear tufts, and "wood owl" is also used as a more generic name for forest-living owls. Neotropical birds in the genus Ciccaba
Ciccaba
Ciccaba is a small genus of typical owls. It contains 4 species:* Mottled Owl, Ciccaba virgata* Black-and-white Owl, Ciccaba nigrolineata* Black-banded Owl, Ciccaba huhula* Rufous-banded Owl, Ciccaba albitarsis...
are sometimes included in Strix.
These are medium-sized to largish, robustly-built and powerful owls. They do not have ear tufts and most are highly nocturnal woodland bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s. Most live on small 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, birds and reptiles.
Note that although the genus Strix was established for the earless owls by Linnaeus in 1758, until the late 19th century many authors applied it to other owls – namely the Tyto
Tyto
The genus Tyto includes all barn owls except for the bay owls - that is, the true barn owls, the grass owls and the masked owls collectively making up the subfamily Tytoninae...
barn-owls
Tytonidae
Barn-owls are one of the two families of owls, the other being the true owls, Strigidae. They are medium to large sized owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful talons...
– in error.
Species in taxonomic order
- Spotted Wood Owl, Strix seloputo
- Mottled Wood OwlMottled Wood OwlThe Mottled Wood Owl is a species of large owl found in India. They are found in gardens and thin deciduous forests adjacent to dry thorn forests or farmland. They are easily detected by their distinctive tremulous eerie calls at dawn and dusk. The characteristic call is a duet of the male and...
, Strix ocellata - Brown Wood OwlBrown Wood OwlThe Brown Wood Owl, Strix leptogrammica, is an owl which is a resident breeder in south Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to western Indonesia and south China. This species is a part of the family of owls known as typical owls , which contains most species of owl...
, Strix leptogrammica- Bartels's Wood Owl or Javan Wood Owl, Strix (leptogrammica) bartelsi
- Himalayan Wood Owl, Strix (leptogrammica) newarensis
- Tawny OwlTawny OwlThe Tawny Owl or Brown Owl is a stocky, medium-sized owl commonly found in woodlands across much of Eurasia. Its underparts are pale with dark streaks, and the upperparts are either brown or grey. Several of the eleven recognised subspecies have both variants...
, Strix aluco - Hume's OwlHume's OwlThe Hume’s Owl or Hume’s Tawny Owl is a species of owl. As its alternative name implies, it is closely related to the more widespread Tawny Owl....
, Strix butleri - Spotted OwlSpotted OwlThe Spotted Owl, Strix occidentalis, is a species of true owl. It is a resident species of forests in western North America, where it nests in tree holes, old bird of prey nests, or rock crevices. Nests can be between 13 and 66 yards high and usually contain two eggs...
, Strix occidentalis- Northern Spotted OwlNorthern Spotted OwlThe Northern Spotted Owl, Strix occidentalis caurina, is one of three Spotted Owl subspecies. A Western North American bird in the family Strigidae, genus Strix, it is a medium-sized dark brown owl sixteen to nineteen inches in length and one to one and one sixth pounds. Females are larger than males...
, Strix occidentalis caurina
- Northern Spotted Owl
- Barred OwlBarred OwlThe Barred Owl is a large typical owl. It goes by many other names, including eight hooter, rain owl, wood owl, and striped owl, but is probably best known as the hoot owl.-Description:...
, Strix varia - Fulvous OwlFulvous OwlThe Fulvous Owl , or Guatemala Barred Owl is a bold member of the cloud forests of Central America. Its habitat is limited to the high mountain ranges and the previously mentioned cloud forests of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. It inhabits elevations from 3900 to 10000 feet and is fairly...
, Strix fulvescens - Rusty-barred OwlRusty-barred OwlThe Rusty-barred Owl is a species of owl distributed mainly in the south of Brazil and further inland to Paraguay and the extreme northeast of Argentina....
, Strix hylophila - Rufous-legged OwlRufous-legged OwlThe Rufous-legged Owl is a medium sized owl with no ear tufts. Its upper parts are rufous brown barred with white with more white on the head and nape. It has a rufous facial disk and dark eyes, and its legs and feet are orange-brown to cinnamon. It grows to a size about 33-38 cm long and weighs...
, Strix rufipes - Chaco OwlChaco OwlThe Chaco Owl is an owl which inhabits dry chaco woodland in southern Bolivia, western Paraguay and northern Argentina.-References:*http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Strix&species=chacoensis...
, Strix chacoensis - Ural OwlUral OwlThe Ural Owl is a medium-large nocturnal owl of the genus Strix, with up to 15 subspecies found in Europe and northern Asia....
, Strix uralensis - Pere David's OwlPere David's OwlThe Père David's Owl is an owl. Some authorities, including BirdLife International. There is debate over whether it's a separate species or an isolated subspecies of Ural Owl....
, Strix davidi - Great Grey OwlGreat Grey OwlThe Great Grey Owl or Lapland Owl is a very large owl, distributed across the Northern Hemisphere. In some areas it is also called the Great Gray Ghost, Phantom of the north, Cinereous Owl, Spectral Owl, Lapland Owl, Spruce Owl, Bearded Owl and Sooty Owl.-Description:Adults have a big, rounded...
, Strix nebulosa - African Wood Owl, Strix woodfordii
Fossil species
The genus Strix is well-represented in the fossil record. Being a fairly generic type of strigid owl, they were probably the first truly modern Strigidae to evolveEvolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
. However, it is not certain whether several of the species usually placed in this genus indeed belong here.
Generally accepted in Strix are:
- Strix dakota (Early Miocene of South Dakota, USA) – tentatively placed here
- Strix sp. (Late Miocene of Nebraska, USA)
- Strix sp. (Late Pliocene of Rębielice Królewski, Poland)
- Strix intermedia (Early - Middle Pleistocene of EC Europe) – may be paleosubspecies of S. aluco
- Strix brea (Late Pleistocene of SW North America)
- Strix sp. (Late Pleistocene of Ladds, USA)
"Strix" wintershofensis (Early/Middle Miocene of Wintershof West, Germany) and "Strix" edwardsi (Middle Miocene of Grive-Saint-Alban, France), while being strigid owls, have not at present been reliably identified to genus; they might also belong into the European Ninox-like group.
"Strix" ignota (Middle Miocene of Sansan, France) is sometimes erroneously considered a nomen nudum
Nomen nudum
The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...
but this assumption is based on what appears to be a lapsus
Lapsus
A lapsus is an involuntary mistake made while writing or speaking. According to Freud's early psychoanalytic theory, a lapsus represents a missed deed that hides an unconscious desire....
or misprint in a 1912 source. It may well belong into the present genus, but this requires confirmation.
"Strix" perpasta (Late Miocene – Early Pliocene of Gargano Peninsula, Italy) does not appear to belong into this genus either. It is sometimes considered a junior synonym of a Brown Fish-owl paleosubspecies.
UMMP V31030, a coracoid from Late Pliocene Rexroad Formation deposits of Kansas (USA), cannot be conclusively assigned to either the present genus or Bubo.
Extinct forms formerly in Strix:
- "Strix" antiqua – now in Prosybris
- "Strix" brevis – now in Intutula
- "Strix" collongensis – now in Alasio
- "Strix" melitensis and "Strix" sanctialbani – now in TytoTytoThe genus Tyto includes all barn owls except for the bay owls - that is, the true barn owls, the grass owls and the masked owls collectively making up the subfamily Tytoninae...
- "Strix" murivora – male of the Rodrigues OwlRodrigues OwlThe Rodrigues Owl , also known as Leguat's Owl or Rodrigues Little Owl, was a small owl. It lived on the Mascarene island of Rodrigues, but it is nowadays extinct. It is part of the genus of Mascarene owls, Mascarenotus...
- "Strix" newtoni and "Strix" sauzieri – male and female of the Mauritius OwlMauritius OwlThe extinct Mauritius Owl , also called Commerson's, Sauzier's or Newton's Owl, was endemic to the Mascarene island of Mauritius...