White-browed Owl

Overview

The white-browed owl, also known as the white-browed hawk-owl or Madagascar hawk-owl, is a dumpy owl species in the family Strigidae. It is endemic to Madagascar and is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• A dumpy owl with a large, rounded head lacking ear tufts.
• Brown upperparts with white spotting on the crown, mantle, and wing coverts; underparts are buff and broadly barred with dark brown.
• Features a grey-brown facial disc with bold white eyebrows, a buff chin, and plain, pale buff underwings, vent, and legs.
• Approximately 25 cm (9.8 in) in length with a 70 cm (28 in) wingspan; bill and cere are horn-coloured, eyes are dark brown, and legs and feet are pale yellow.
• Song consists of a howling 'woohoo' made at intervals, beginning hoarsely, and a loud, higher-pitched 'kuang' which may serve as an aggression call.

Habitat

Found in the northeast, south, and southwest of Madagascar, it is most common in the drier forests and gallery forests of the south and west, and less common in the humid rainforest of the northeast. It also inhabits cultivated areas and secondary forest, primarily in lowlands up to 800 m (2,600 ft) above sea level.

Diet

It feeds mainly on insects and small vertebrates, which are typically caught from a perch, though it may also hawk insects and bats in flight.

Did you know?

Despite previously being placed in the genus Ninox, recent genetic data has led to its reclassification into the genus Athene.