Tyto gigantea
Encyclopedia
Tyto gigantea is an extinct barn owl
from what is now Gargano
, Italy, dating back to the late Miocene
. From its remains, T. gigantea is suggested to have been as large as, or larger than the Eurasian Eagle-owl, Bubo bubo.
It lived sympatrically with its relative, Tyto robusta
, and may have preyed on the giant, cat-sized erinaceomorph, Deinogalerix
.
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...
from what is now Gargano
Gargano
Gargano is a historical and geographical Italian sub-region situated in Apulia, consisting of a wide isolated mountain massif made of highland and several peaks and forming the backbone of the Gargano Promontory projecting into the Adriatic Sea. The high point is Monte Calvo at . Most of the upland...
, Italy, dating back to the late Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
. From its remains, T. gigantea is suggested to have been as large as, or larger than the Eurasian Eagle-owl, Bubo bubo.
It lived sympatrically with its relative, Tyto robusta
Tyto robusta
Tyto robusta was a prehistoric barn-owl. It lived at what is now Monte Gargano in Italy, and was an island throughout much of the Neogene when sea levels were higher. The owl's remains date back to the Miocene-Pliocene boundary 5.5 to 5 million years ago. The fossil bones are about 60% as long...
, and may have preyed on the giant, cat-sized erinaceomorph, Deinogalerix
Deinogalerix
Deinogalerix , was a genus of the order Erinaceomorpha, which lived in Italy in the Late Miocene. The genus was apparently endemic to what was then Gargano Island, today's Gargano peninsula...
.