Hume's Owl
Fahlkauz on an Israeli postage stamp
The Fahlkauz (Strix butleri ), also called Wüstenkauz, is a species of owl of the genus Strix. He lives in the mountain and desert regions of the Arabian Peninsula and the Sinai. The species was named after the British ornithologist and officer Edward Arthur Butler.
Features
The Fahlkauz reaches a height 30-34 centimeters. Its plumage is bright and rather plain, the underside is light and not striped, very thin and indistinct pale ocher yellow banded. Fahlkäuze have a round head and deep yellow eyes.
Possible confusion arise, for instance with the tawny owl. However, this is stained larger and darker and always has dark eyes. The Lilith - owl is like the Fahlkauz very pale, but much smaller. Much like the little owl of the Lilith - owl has a very low forehead, so that he acts differently than the Fahlkauz pronounced flathead.
Distribution and habitat
The breeding range of the Fahlkauzes is disjoint. It stretches from the Arabian Peninsula to the Dead Sea. He comes among other things, in the south of Israel, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, and the north-east of Egypt and also in the south of Iran before. To its distribution area formerly included the coastal area of Pakistan. However, it is possible that the Fahlkauz has become extinct here.
The Fahlkauz inhabited a state bird, the rock deserts and semi-deserts and rocky mountain slopes. It is sometimes also observed in the vicinity of human settlements.
Way of life
The Fahlkauz is a crepuscular and nocturnal owl. On the day Fahlkäuze rest in small crevices. For food range includes small mammals, small birds, reptiles, grasshoppers and other insects and scorpions. Characteristic of him is a stand hunting, but he occasionally catches insects in the air. As he often hunts near roads, it is a relatively frequent victims of traffic accidents.
The breeding season falls in the period from March to August. He prefers to use rock crevices as Niststandort. The eggs are laid directly on the ground. It usually breeds only the female. The incubation period is 35 days. The young birds fledge at 37 days.