Buff-fronted Owl
Encyclopedia
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 rodent
s and other small mammal
s as its main prey, but will also feed on bird
s and insect
s.
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
.
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...
. It is a rare and local resident in the highlands of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
from Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
south and east to Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, northern Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and northwest Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
. The range is effectively separated into two parts by the unsuitable habitat of the Amazon basin
Amazon Basin
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
.
This nocturnal 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...
breeds in open mountain forests, laying its eggs in a tree hole. It takes rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s and other 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 as its main prey, but will also feed on 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 and insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s.
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
Edward Harris (ornithologist)
Edward Harris was an American farmer and amateur naturalist.Son of a farmer, Harris grew up near to Philadelphia...
.