Stygian Owl
Styxeule (Asio stygius )
The Styxeule (Asio stygius ) is a species of the family of authentics owls. It comes in four subspecies in North, Central and South America.
Appearance
With a body size from 38 to 46 centimeters, is a medium to relatively large representative of its genus. Like all long-eared owls she has striking ear tufts. It is sooty-brown on the body top with single pale spots and short whitish eyebrows. This contrasts sharply with the rather greyish face. On the front chest is sprinkled densely dark brown. The rest of the body base has dark vertical stripes as well as some horizontal stripes. The wings are relatively long, the tail is short. The eyes are yellowish.
Confusion opportunities exist with the Great Horned Owl, which is significantly greater, however, more educated has claws and is striated conspicuous on the body bottom. The long-eared owl is smaller and has a more reddish brown face veil, which is surrounded by a dark edge and eye-catching. The screech owl is smaller and has dark eyes.
Distribution and habitat
The Styxeule comes from northwestern Mexico through Central America and the Caribbean to South America before. There it occurs in Colombia and Ecuador, and northern and north -eastern Argentina and in southeastern Brazil. However, their distribution is not contiguous.
The Styxeule is a state bird. However, showing young owls this type, a significant dispersion movement. Their habitat is humid to semi-arid forests at altitudes 600-3000 meters above sea level.
Way of life
The Styxeule is a crepuscular and nocturnal owl. You will meet in the dense foliage of trees, often hidden between epiphytes and lianas. Very often she sits near the tribe. Similar to the long-eared owl it is aimed at fault strongly depends on its ear tufts and then perpendicular to. In Styxeulen who do not feel alarmed, the ear tufts are created and almost not visible.
The food range includes small mammals, including bats. Birds, it proposes to pigeon size. It also eats other small vertebrates and lizards. The reproductive biology, however, is not very well researched. Sure is, however, that the nest usually consists of two eggs, and that breeds only the female.