Tyto pollens
Encyclopedia
Tyto pollens, also known as Andros Island Barn Owl, Bahamian Barn Owl, Bahamian Great Owl, or "Chickcharnie," was a 1 metres (3.3 ft), flightless
Flightless bird
Flightless birds are birds which lack the ability to fly, relying instead on their ability to run or swim. They are thought to have evolved from flying ancestors. There are about forty species in existence today, the best known being the ostrich, emu, cassowary, rhea, kiwi, and penguin...

 barn owl
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...

 that lived in the old-growth pineyards of Andros Island. It made its nests in burrows.

When the island of Andros was colonized by Europeans and their slaves in the 16th century, the owls coexisted with humans, at least until the forests were felled. The destruction of the original forests may have led to the extinction of T. pollens.

"Chickcharnie"

Scholars believe that T. pollens inspired the legend of the "Chickcharnie
Chickcharney
Chickcharney, Chickcharnie or Chickcharnee is a mythical and cryptozoological creature resembling a bird, specifically an owl, that lives in the forests of Andros Island in the Bahama Islands. According to some, it is furry, feathered, about 3 feet tall and is considered ugly looking...

," a malicious, bird-like dwarf with glowing red eyes, three-toed feet, and a head that could rotate in any direction that was said to haunt the forests of Andros by early settlers.

See also

  • Grallistrix
    Grallistrix
    The stilt-owls are a genus of true owls which contains four species, all of which lived on the Hawaiian Islands but are now extinct....

  • Ornimegalonyx
  • Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
    Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
    Prehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...

  • List of extinct birds
  • List of fossil birds
  • List of extinct animals
  • Flightless birds

External links

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