Palau Owl

The Palau Owl ( Pyrroglaux podarginus ) is a species of owl that is endemic to the Palau Islands. It is the only representative of the genus Pyrroglaux.

Appearance

The Palau Owl reached a size of 22 cm. In the male, the face veil bright russet - buff with narrow, darker, rust-brown concentric rings. The forehead and the supraorbital stripe are whitish with a rusty brown - buff tint and a narrow, dark brown banding. Top of the head and top are rusty brown. The shoulder feathers have white spots with black tips. The wings are rust-brown - beige with bright russet - colored leather binding. The tail is rusty brown with indistinct dark brown napkins. The throat is more whitish- brown rust. The breast is bright rusty brown with a white and black banding. The belly is light brown rust. Runs and toes are featherless. The female resembles the male. However, the top is dark brown with fine black wavy lines. The underside is light or dark rusty brown with a slight or strong, white and brown banding and mottling. The downy feathers of young birds is bright rusty brown; lighter on the belly and darker on the chest and back. The iris is brown or orange - yellow. The beak and the legs and toes are dirty white.

Vocalizations

The call of the male consists of a series of clear single notes, like kwuk kwuk ... listen to yourself and be expressed in intervals of just one second. The call of the female is similar, but shriller. During courtship males and females are heard in the duet.

Distribution and habitat

The Palau Owl occurs on Koror, Babelthuap, Peleliu, the Urukthapel Islands and Angaur in the Palau Archipelago. It inhabits mangroves, rain forests and around villages in the lowlands.

Way of life

The Palau Owl is nocturnal. In daylight it looks for shelter in the mangrove thicket. On their nocturnal foraging travels considerable distances, especially in the vicinity of villages. The diet consists of insects and other arthropods and earthworms. The breeding season is from February to March. The nests are built in tree cavities. The clutch consists of three to four eggs with dimensions of 34.3 × 31.7 mm. The pairs stay together all year round. The areas are relatively small.

Status

BirdLife International classifies the Palau Owl in the category " not at risk " ( least concern ) a. Information about their holdings are not available. In surveys that were conducted in 1945 on Koror and Peleliu, it was discovered 33 pairs on Koror ( which is about half of the holdings on the island ) and four pairs on Peleliu. In another expedition in 1945, this species was not detected on the southern part of the Palau Islands. The American ornithologist Harold Douglas Pratt noted in his field work in the 1970s that the Palau Owl is more common locally than previously thought.