Showing posts with label Strigiformes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Strigiformes. Show all posts

Friday, December 18, 2015

ANIMALS - BIRDS - OWLS - STRIPPED OWL (PSEUDOSCOPS CLAMATOR)



Animals - Birds - Owls

Striped owl (Pseudoscops clamator)


Scientific Classification:

Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Aves
Order : Strigiformes
Family : Strigidae
Genus : Pseudoscops (disputed)
Species :
P. Clamator


Description:

The Striped owl (Pseudoscops clamator) is a medium-sized owl with large ear tufts and a brownish-white facial disk rimmed with black. Its beak is black, and it has cinnamon-colored eyes. It has shorter, rounder wings than most of its close relatives. The upperparts are cinnamon with fine black vermiculation and heavy stripes. The underparts are pale tawny with dusky streaks. It is native to South America, and parts of Central America.

Its systematic placement is not resolved. Different authorities place it in Asio, in Pseudoscops together with the Jamaican owl, or more rarely into the monotypic genus Rhinoptynx.

The striped owl is a relatively large species with prominent tufts of elongated feathers on the crown resembling ears. It is 30–38 centimetres (12–15 in) and weighs from 320 to 546 g (11.3 to 19.3 oz). Its head, back, hot wings and tail are brown with black stripes and small markings while its underparts are buff-colored with heavy black streaking on the breast. The facial disk is pure white with a thin black border.

The striped owl is native to much of South and Central America. Its range is not well known, perhaps because it is nocturnal and not easily seen, but it is known from Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela. It uses a variety of habitats, including riparian woodlands, marshes, savannahs, grassy open areas, and tropical rainforests. It can be found from sea level to 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) and above.




Binomial Name:

Name : Pseudoscops clamator
Taxonomist :
Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot (Yvetot - France)
Year :
1807
Subspecies :
None or not data available
Synonyms :
Asio clamator, Rhinoptynx clamator


Conservation Status by IUCN:

Status : Least Concern

Has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as evaluated but not qualified for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, near threatened, or (prior to 2001) conservation dependent.

Philatelic Issues


2015 - Uruguay - Stamp 8 of 8, from Owls Series


Issue information:

Country: Uruguay
Date: September 30th, 2015
Printed: 10.000 copies
Type : Stamp from Series of 8 Stamps
Value : UYP 15

Stamp : Rectangular
Size: 39 mm. x 27 mm.
Perforation: Circular
Gum: Water Activated

Thursday, December 17, 2015

ANIMALS - BIRDS - OWLS - FERRUGINOUS PYGMY OWL (GLAUCIDIUM BRASILIANUM)


Animals - Birds - Owls

Ferruginous pygmy owl (Glaucidium brasilianum)


Scientific Classification:

Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Aves
Order : Strigiformes
Family : Strigidae
Genus : Glaucidium
Species :
G. Brasilianum


Description:

The Ferruginous pygmy owl (Glaucidium brasilianum) is a small owl that breeds in south-central Arizona in the United States, south through Mexico and Central America, to South America into Bolivia and Argentina.

In Central America and South America, it is the most widely distributed pygmy owl and is probably one of the most numerous owl species in those areas. It is found in a wide range of semi-open wooded habitats in these areas.

This species is crepuscular, but often hunts by day. It hunts a variety of birds, lizards, mammals, and insects. The flight is low to the ground and rapid with long swoops.

It can be readily located by the small birds that mob it while it is perched in a tree (up to 40 birds of 11 species have been recorded mobbing one owl).

The ferruginous pygmy owl is small, typically 15 cm (5.9 in), and stocky with disproportionately large talons. The crown has elongated white/buff spots or streaks, the wing coverts have white spots, and the underparts are heavily streaked white. There are prominent white supercilia above the facial disc. There are two eye spots on the nape.

Otherwise, its overall color is highly variable, ranging from grey-brown with a black-and-white barred tail to rich rufous with a uniform rufous tail. Sexes are similar with females slightly larger and often more reddish.



Binomial Name:

Name : Glaucidium brasilianum
Taxonomist :
Johann Friedrich Gmelin (Tübingen - Germany)
Year :
1788
Subspecies :
12 (Brasilianum, Cactorum, Duidae, … )
Synonyms :
None


Conservation Status by IUCN:

Status : Least Concern

Has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as evaluated but not qualified for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, near threatened, or (prior to 2001) conservation dependent.

Philatelic Issues


2015 - Uruguay - Stamp 7 of 8, from Owls Series


Issue information:

Country: Uruguay
Date: September 30th, 2015
Printed: 10.000 copies
Type : Stamp from Series of 8 Stamps
Value : UYP 15

Stamp : Rectangular
Size: 39 mm. x 27 mm.
Perforation: Circular
Gum: Water Activated

ANIMALS - BIRDS - OWLS - SHORT-EARED OWL (ASIO FLAMMEUS)


Animals - Birds - Owls

Short-eared owl (Asio flammeus)


Scientific Classification:

Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Aves
Order : Strigiformes
Family : Strigdae
Subfamily : Asioninae
Genus :
Asio
Species : A. Flammeus


Description:

The Short-eared owl (Asio flammeus) is a species of typical owl (family Strigidae). Owls belonging to genus Asio are known as the Eared owls, as they have tufts of feathers resembling mammalian ears. These "ear" tufts may or may not be visible. Asio flammeus will display its tufts when in a defensive pose. However, it’s very short tufts are usually not visible. The short-eared owl is found in open country and grasslands. The word flammeus is Latin for "flaming, or the color of fire".

The Short-eared owl is a medium-sized owl measuring 34–43 cm (13–17 in) in length and weighing 206–475 g (7.3–16.8 oz). It has large eyes, a big head, a short neck, and broad wings. Its bill is short, strong, hooked and black. Its plumage is mottled tawny to brown with a barred tail and wings. The upper breast is significantly streaked. Its flight is characteristically floppy due to its irregular wingbeats. The short-eared owl may also be described as "moth or bat-like" in flight. Wingspans range from 85 to 110 cm (33 to 43 in). Females are slightly larger than males. The yellow-orange eyes of A. flammeus are exaggerated by black rings encircling each eye, giving the appearance of them wearing mascara, and large, whitish disks of plumage surrounding the eyes like a mask.


Binomial Name:

Name : Asio flammeus
Taxonomist :
Erik Pontoppidan (Aarhus - Denmark)
Year :
1763
Subspecies :
10 (Flammeus, Suinda, Bogotensis, … )
Synonyms :
Asio accipitrinus


Conservation Status by IUCN:

Status : Least Concern

Has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as evaluated but not qualified for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, near threatened, or (prior to 2001) conservation dependent.

Philatelic Issues


2015 - Uruguay - Stamp 6 of 8, from Owls Series


Issue information:

Country: Uruguay
Date: September 30th, 2015
Printed: 10.000 copies
Type : Stamp from Series of 8 Stamps
Value : UYP 15

Stamp : Rectangular
Size: 39 mm. x 27 mm.
Perforation: Circular
Gum: Water Activated

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

ANIMALS - BIRDS - OWLS - BARN OWL (TYTO ALBA)


Animals - Birds - Owls

Barn owl (Tyto alba)


Scientific Classification:

Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Aves
Subclass : Neornithes
Infraclass :
Neognathae
Superorder :
Neoaves
Order :
Strigiformes
Family : Strigdae
Subfamily : Tytoninae
Genus :
Tyto
Species : T. Alba


Description:

The Barn owl (Tyto alba) is the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is also referred to as the Common barn owl, to distinguish it from other species in its family, Tytonidae, which forms one of the two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical owls (Strigidae). The barn owl is found almost everywhere in the world except polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himalayas, most of Indonesia and some Pacific islands.

Phylogenetic evidence shows that there are at least three major lineages of barn owl, one in Eurasia and Africa, one in Australasia and one in the New World, and some highly divergent taxa on islands. Some authorities further split the group, recognizing up to five species, and further research needs to be done to clarify the position. There is a considerable variation between the sizes and color of the approximately 28 subspecies but most are between 33 and 39 cm (13 and 15 in) in length with wingspans ranging from 80 to 95 cm (31 to 37 in). The plumage on head and back is a mottled shade of grey or brown, the underparts vary from white to brown and are sometimes speckled with dark markings. The face is characteristically heart-shaped and is white in most species. This owl does not hoot, but utters an eerie, drawn-out shriek.

The barn owl is nocturnal over most of its range but in Britain and some Pacific islands, it also hunts by day. Barn owls specialize in hunting animals on the ground and nearly all of their food consists of small mammals which they locate by sound, their hearing being very acute. They mate for life unless one of the pair gets killed, when a new pair bond may be formed. Breeding takes place at varying times of year according to locality, with a clutch, averaging about four eggs, being laid in a nest in a hollow tree, old building or fissure in a cliff. The female does all the incubation, and she and the young chicks are reliant on the male for food. When large numbers of small prey are readily available, barn owl populations can expand rapidly, and globally the bird is considered to be of least conservation concern. Some subspecies with restricted ranges are more threatened.


Binomial Name:

Name : Tyto alba
Taxonomist :
Giovanni Antonio Scopoli (Cavalese - Italy)
Year :
1769
Subspecies :
Around 28 (Alba, Pranticola, Tuidara, … )
Synonyms :
Strix alba Scopoli, Strix pratincola, Tyto delicatula


Conservation Status by IUCN:

Status : Least Concern

Has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as evaluated but not qualified for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, near threatened, or (prior to 2001) conservation dependent.

Philatelic Issues


2015 - Uruguay - Stamp 5 of 8, from Owls Series


Issue information:

Country: Uruguay
Date: September 30th, 2015
Printed: 10.000 copies
Type : Stamp from Series of 8 Stamps
Value : UYP 15

Stamp : Rectangular
Size: 39 mm. x 27 mm.
Perforation: Circular
Gum: Water Activated

ANIMALS - BIRDS - OWLS - TROPICAL SCREECH OWL (MEGASCOPS CHOLIBA)


Animals - Birds - Owls

Tropical screech owl (Megascops choliba)


Scientific Classification:

Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Aves
Order : Strigiformes
Family : Strigdae
Genus : Megascops
Species : M. choliba


Description:

The Tropical screech owl (Megascops choliba) is a small species of owl in the family Strigidae.

It is found throughout South America (including Trinidad and Tobago), except in the Andes, the arid Pacific lowlands, and the far south. Its distribution also extends into southern Central America in Costa Rica and Panama. It is generally common – in large parts of its range among the most common species of owls and likely the most common screech owl of the tropics. It occurs in a wide range of wooded habitats, ranging from arid Caatinga to dense rainforest, and even city parks.

This polymorphic species is highly variable in color, it being overall grey-brown or (less commonly) brown or rufous, but always with a relatively distinctive blackish edge to the face and yellow irises. The length is 21–23 centimeters (8.3–9.1 in) long and weight is 97–160 grams (3.4–5.6 oz).


Binomial Name:

Name : Megascops choliba
Taxonomist :
Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot (Yvetot - France)
Year :
1782
Subspecies :
9 (Choliba, Luctisomus, Margaritae, … )
Synonym :
Otus choliba


Conservation Status by IUCN:

Status : Least Concern

Has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as evaluated but not qualified for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, near threatened, or (prior to 2001) conservation dependent.

Philatelic Issues


2015 - Uruguay - Stamp 4 of 8, from Owls Series


Issue information:

Country: Uruguay
Date: September 30th, 2015
Printed: 10.000 copies
Type : Stamp from Series of 8 Stamps
Value : UYP 15

Stamp : Rectangular
Size: 39 mm. x 27 mm.
Perforation: Circular
Gum: Water Activated

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

ANIMALS - BIRDS - OWLS - BURROWING OWL (ATHENE CUNICULARIA)


Animals - Birds - Owls

Burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia)


Scientific Classification:

Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Aves
Order : Strigiformes
Family : Strigdae
Genus : Athene
Species : A. Cunicularia


Description:

The Burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) is a small, long-legged owl found throughout open landscapes of North and South America. Burrowing owls can be found in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or any other open dry area with low vegetation. They nest and roost in burrows, such as those excavated by prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.). Unlike most owls, Burrowing Owls are often active during the day, although they tend to avoid the midday heat. But like many other kinds of owls, burrowing owls do most of their hunting from dusk until dawn, when they can use their night vision and hearing to their advantage. Living in open grasslands as opposed to the forest, the burrowing owl has developed longer legs, which enables it to sprint as well as fly when hunting.


Binomial Name:

Name : Athene cunicularia
Taxonomist :
Juan Ignacio Molina (Guaraculén - Chile)
Year :
1782
Subspecies :
Around 20 (Cunicularia, Grallaria, Hypugaea, … )
Synonym :
Strix cunicularia, Speotyto cunicularia, Spheotyto cunicularia (lapsus)


Conservation Status by IUCN:

Status : Least Concern

Has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as evaluated but not qualified for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, near threatened, or (prior to 2001) conservation dependent.

Philatelic Issues


2015 - Uruguay - Stamp 3 of 8, from Owls Series


Issue information:

Country: Uruguay
Date: September 30th, 2015
Printed: 10.000 copies
Type : Stamp from Series of 8 Stamps
Value : UYP 15

Stamp : Rectangular
Size: 39 mm. x 27 mm.
Perforation: Circular
Gum: Water Activated

ANIMALS - BIRDS - OWLS - GREAT HORNED OWL (BUBO VIRGINIANUS)


Animals - Birds - Owls

Great horned owl (Bubo virginianus)


Scientific Classification:

Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Aves
Order : Strigiformes
Family : Strigdae
Genus : Bubo
Species : B. Virginianus


Description:

The Great horned owl (Bubo virginianus), also known as the Tiger owl (originally derived from early naturalists' description as the "winged tiger" or "tiger of the air") or the Hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extremely adaptable bird with a vast range and is the most widely distributed true owl in the Americas. Its primary diet appears to be rabbits and hares, rats and mice and voles, although it freely hunts any animal it can overtake, primarily other rodents and small mammals, but also larger mid-sized mammals, various birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. In ornithological study, the great horned owl is often compared to the Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo), a closely related species which, despite the latter's notably larger size, occupies the same ecological niche in Eurasia, and the Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), with which it often shares similar habitat, prey and nesting habits by day and is thus something of a diurnal ecological equivalent. The Great horned owl is one of the earliest nesting birds in North America, often laying eggs weeks or even months before other raptorial birds.

Binomial Name:

Name : Bubo virginianus
Taxonomist :
Johann Friedrich Gmelin
Year :
1788
Subspecies :
10 – 20+ (Virginianus, Nacurutu, Subarticus, … )
Synonym :
Strix virginiana


Conservation Status by IUCN:

Status : Least Concern

Has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as evaluated but not qualified for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, near threatened, or (prior to 2001) conservation dependent.

Philatelic Issues


2015 - Uruguay - Stamp 2 of 8, from Owls Series


Issue information:

Country: Uruguay
Date: September 30th, 2015
Printed: 10.000 copies
Type : Stamp from Series of 8 Stamps
Value : UYP 15

Stamp : Rectangular
Size: 39 mm. x 27 mm.
Perforation: Circular
Gum: Water Activated

Monday, December 14, 2015

ANIMALS - BIRDS - OWLS - BUFF-FRONTED OWL (AEGOLIUS HARRISII)


Animals - Birds - Owls

Buff-fronted owl (Aegolius harrisii)


Scientific Classification:

Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Aves
Order : Strigiformes
Family : Strigdae
Genus : Aegolius
Species : A. Harrisii


Description:

The Buff-fronted owl (Aegolius harrisii) is a small Owl. It is a rare and local resident in the highlands of South America from Venezuela south and east to Peru, northern Argentina and northwest Paraguay. The range is effectively separated into two parts by the unsuitable habitat of the Amazon basin.

This nocturnal bird breeds in open mountain forests, laying its eggs in a tree hole. It takes rodents and other small mammals as its main prey, but will also feed on birds and insects.

The Buff-fronted owl is a small, compact, short-tailed and broad-winged owl, 23 cm long and weighing 130 g. It is black above with white flecking on the wings. The underparts are unstreaked buff and the tail is brown with two spotted white bars. The head is large, with yellow eyes and a black-edged buff facial disc. The flight is strong and direct. The voice is a quavering trill sometimes varying in pitch.

The binomial commemorates the American ornithologist Edward Harris.

Binomial Name:

Name : Aegolius Harrisii
Taxonomist :
John Cassin
Year :
1849
Subspecies :
3 (Dabbenei, Harrisii, Iheringi)
Synonym :
Nyctale Harrisii

Conservation Status by IUCN:

Status : Least Concern

Has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as evaluated but not qualified for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, near threatened, or (prior to 2001) conservation dependent.

Philatelic Issues


2015 - Uruguay - Stamp 1 of 8, from Owls Series


Issue information:

Country: Uruguay
Date: September 30th, 2015
Printed: 10.000 copies
Type : Stamp from Series of 8 Stamps
Value : UYP 15

Stamp : Rectangular
Size: 39 mm. x 27 mm.
Perforation: Circular
Gum: Water Activated

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