Asio

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Asio

Asio is a genus of typical owls, or true owls, in family Strigidae. The genus Asio contains the eared owls, which are characterised by feather tufts on the head which have the appearance of ears. This group has representatives over most of the planet, and the Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl

The Short-eared Owl is a species of typical owl . Owls belonging to genus Asio are known as the eared owls, as they have tufts of feathers resembling mammalian ears....
is one of the most widespread of all bird species, breeding in Europe

Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
, Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
, North

North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
and South America

South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
, the Caribbean

Caribbean

The Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and Northern America, east of Central America, and to the north of South America....
, Hawaii

Hawaii

File:Pahoehoe and Aa flows at Hawaii.jpgThe State of Hawaii is a U.S. state in the United States, located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia....
and the Galápagos Islands

Galápagos Islands

Gal?pagos Islands are an archipelago of Island#Volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, 972 km west of continental Ecuador....
. Its geographic range extends to all continents except Antarctica and Australia.

These are medium-sized owls, 30-46 cm in length with 80-103 cm wingspans.

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Encyclopedia

Short-eared Owl

Europe

Asia

North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
and South America

South America

Caribbean

Hawaii

Galápagos Islands

Bird migration

Bird migration refers to the regular seasonal journeys undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather....
, moving south in winter from the northern parts of their range, or wandering nomadically in poor vole

Vole

A vole is a small rodent resembling a mouse but with a stouter body, a shorter hairy tail, a slightly rounder head, and smaller ears and eyes. There are approximately 70 species of voles; they are sometimes known as meadow mice or field mice in North America....
years in search of better food supplies. Tropical Asio owls are largely sedentary.

Asio owls are mainly nocturnal, but Short-eared Owls are also crepuscular

Crepuscular

Crepuscular is a term used to describe some animals that are primarily active during twilight, that is at dawn and at dusk. The word is derived from the Latin word crepusculum, meaning "twilight"....
. Most species nest on the ground, but the Long-eared Owl, Asio otus, nests in the old stick nests of crows, ravens and magpies (family Corvidae

Corvidae

Corvidae is a Cosmopolitan distribution family of oscine passerine birds that contains the crows, ravens, rook s, jackdaws, jays, magpies, treepies, Pyrrhocorax and nutcracker ....
) and various hawks.

These owls hunt over open fields or grasslands, taking mainly rodent

Rodent

Rodentia is an Order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing Incisors#The_Rodent_incisor in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s, other small mammal

Mammal

Mammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose name is derived from their distinctive feature, mammary glands, with which they feed their young....
s and some bird

Bird

Birds are wing, Bipedalismal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay egg . There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates....
s.

Species

Stygian Owl
Stygian Owl

The Stygian Owl, Asio stygius is a medium-sized dusky colored owl. It has yellow eyes, a black beak, a dark blackish facial disk, and white eyebrows....
, Asio stygius
Long-eared Owl
Long-eared Owl

The Long-eared Owl - Asio otus is a species of owl which breeds in Europe, Asia, and North America. This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, family Strigidae, which contains most species of owl....
, Asio otus
African Long-eared Owl
African Long-eared Owl

The African Long-eared Owl, Asio abyssinicus, is a medium-sized typical owl with yellow eyes, a black bill and gray eyebrows. It is similar in appearance to the Long-eared Owl, Asio otus, but is overall darker, and their ranges do not overlap....
, Asio abyssinicus
Madagascar Long-eared Owl
Madagascar Long-eared Owl

The Madagascar Long-eared Owl, Asio madagascariensis is a medium sized owl ranging from 31 to 50 cm in length. It generally has a dark brown facial disk, black bill and orange eyes....
, Asio madagascariensis
Short-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl

The Short-eared Owl is a species of typical owl . Owls belonging to genus Asio are known as the eared owls, as they have tufts of feathers resembling mammalian ears....
, Asio flammeus
Marsh Owl
Marsh Owl

The Marsh Owl, Asio capensis, is a species of owl which is a mainly resident breeder in Africa and Madagascar.This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, Strigidae, which contains most species of owl....
, Asio capensis
Striped Owl
Striped Owl

The Striped Owl 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....
, Asio clamator - often placed in Pseudoscops or Rhinoptynx

Two fossil

Fossil

Fossils are the preserved remains or trace fossil of animals, plants, and other organisms from the remote past. The totality of fossils, both discovered and undiscovered, and their placement in fossiliferous Rock formations and sedimentary rock layers is known as the fossil record....
species are recognized nowadays:

Asio brevipes (Glenns Ferry Late Pliocene of Hagerman, USA)
Asio priscus (Late Pliocene of Santa Rosa Island, USA)

The supposed Late Eocene/Early Oligocene eared owl "Asio" henrici has been recognized as a member of the fossil barn-owl genus Selenornis. "Asio" pygmaeus (often misspelt pigmaeus) cannot be assigned to a genus without restudy of the material. "Asio" collongensis (Middle Miocene of Vieux-Collonges, France) is now placed in the genus Alasio.(Mlíkovský 2002)