Tyto
Neuhollandeule
The barn owls (Tyto ) are a species-rich genus within the family of barn owls. The genus is distributed almost worldwide.
Features
Barn Owls are characterized by their distinctive heart-shaped face veil. This distinguishes it among other things from the mask owls, in which the veil is rather a V shape. Barn Owls are long-legged owl with relatively long wings and a relatively short tail. For the entire family is characteristic that the rearward inner toe is the same length as the middle toe.
The plumage coloration is highly variable. Individual barn owls species have a very light body top. Among the brightest include the barn owl Tyto alba subspecies ernesti that occurs in the Mediterranean and the Australia - Barn Owl. The darkest part of the Rußeule species that is native to New Guinea and the South East of Australia. The largest species is the Tasmania Barn Owl. It reaches a body length of 47-55 centimeters and weighs 600-1200 grams.
Dissemination
The genus is found on all continents except Antarctica. The greatest diversity of species there are in Australia, New Guinea and Indonesia. In contrast, the genus in Central, North and in most of East Asia is completely absent.
Among the species with a very large distribution area counts occurring in Central Europe barn owl. Their range extends across Europe, South Asia and Africa. The range of the America 's owl, which is seen in older literature as a subspecies of Barn Owl, covers North and South America.
Many owls have a very small area of distribution. This applies for example to the Curacao, the Hispaniola and the Lesser Antilles Barn Owl. These were limited to a few small islands species are threatened by habitat destruction in particular. About the specific lifestyle of these endemic species is so far mostly little known. Since they have long been considered subspecies of Barn Owl, few efforts have so far been made to study their specific food spectrum, their sound repertoire or their reproductive biology.
Species
The systematics of the family is greatly changing. Individual species as occurring in Central Europe Barn Owl, are assigned many subspecies. On the basis of DNA testing different subspecies by some authors, is now recognized as having a kind of status. The number of species varies according to different authors. The assignment of species to the genus of owls mask or genus of owls is disputed. Thus, the occurring near the Tanganyika African Prigogine Owl by some authors is associated with the mask owls. Here is the breakdown by Claus König, Friedhelm Weick and was followed.
In particular, belong to the genus:
- Malegasseneule ( T. soumagnei )
- Barn Owl ( T. alba)
- American Barn Owl ( T. furcata )
- Curaçao Barn Owl ( T. bargei )
- Hispaniola Barn Owl ( T. glaucops )
- Lesser Antilles Barn Owl ( T. insularis )
- Galapagos Barn Owl ( Tyto punctatissima )
- Cape Verde Barn Owl ( T. distorta )
- São Tomé Barn Owl ( T. thomensis )
- Andaman Barn Owl ( T. deroepstorffi )
- Australia Barn Owl ( T. delicatula )
- Boang Barn Owl ( T. crassirostris )
- Sulawesi Barn Owl ( T. rosenbergii )
- Taliabu Barn Owl ( T. nigrobrunnea )
- Minahassa Barn Owl ( T. inexpectata )
- Tanimbarese Barn Owl ( T. sororcula )
- Seram Barn Owl ( T. Almae )
- Manus Barn Owl ( T. manusi )
- Tasmania Barn Owl ( T. castanops )
- Neuhollandeule ( T. novaehollandiae )
- Gold Owl ( T. aurantia )
- Rußeule ( T. tenebricosa )
- Patch Rußeule ( T. multipunctata )
- Africa Graseule ( T. capensis )
- Eastern Graseule ( T. longimembris )
- Prigogine Owl ( T. prigoginei )
- Bahamas Owl ( T. pollens ), subfossil of Iceland Andros, Bahamas