Barred eagle-owl

Bubo sumatranus

SUBFAMILY

Striginae, Tribe Bubonini

TAXONOMY

Strix sumatrana Raffles, 1822, Sumatra. Two subspecies are recognized.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

English: Malay eagle-owl, Malaysian eagle-owl; French: Grand-duc bruyant; German: Malaienuhu; Spanish: Búho Malayo.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

15.7–18.1 in (40–46 cm). This owl has a whitish face, dark brown, outward-directed ear tufts marked with white, and brown eyes. Upperparts are dark brown barred with rufous buff. Underparts are grayish white barred with brown. Beak and feet are yellow.

DISTRIBUTION

Southern Myanmar, peninsular Thailand, south to Sumatra and Bangka Island.

HABITAT

Evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, plantations, and even wooded gardens.

BEHAVIOR

Sedentary; territorial in nest area; nocturnal and crepuscular.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Large insects, small mammals, snakes, and small birds. Still hunter from a perch.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Usually lays one egg either in a large cavity or in and old hawk's nest. Incubation and fledging periods are not known.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not globally threatened, this owl is reasonably common and adaptable.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

None known.