Biology:Romblon hawk-owl
| Romblon hawk-owl | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Strigidae |
| Genus: | Ninox |
| Species: | N. spilonotus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Ninox spilonotus Bourns & Worcester, 1894
| |
The Romblon hawk-owl (Ninox spilonotus) or Romblon boobook, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae that is endemic to the Philippines only found in the islands of Tablas, Sibuyan and Romblon. It was previously known as a subspecies of the Philippine hawk-owl, but was reclassified in 2012, as voice and other evidence suggested it a distinct species.[3] Its natural habitats are r tropical moist lowland forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Description and Taxonomy
EBird describes the bird as "A rare medium-sized owl of lowland and foothill forest on Tablas, Romblon, and Sibuyan islands. Upperparts, chest, and head dark brown and indistinctly barred. Underparts reddish brown. Note the long whiskers around the face and the bright yellow eyes. Probably the only owl in its range except for Mantanani Scops-Owl, but Romblon Boobook is reddish rather than gray and lacks the black line around the face. Song is a phrase of three notes, “wik weu-weu,” with the second and third being descending rasping notes."[4]
The Romblon hawk-owl is an earless species. The males and females are similar in appearance. This species mates around February, nesting in hollow trees
It and along with the Camiguin hawk-owl and Cebu hawk-owlare the largest in the Philippine hawk-owl species complex reaching sizes of 25cm tall versus the much smaller Luzon hawk-owl, Mindanao hawk-owl, Mindoro hawk-owl and Sulu hawk-owl which sizes range from 15-20cm tall.[5]
Subspecies
Two subspecies are recognized
- Ninox spilonotus spilonotus (Sibuyan) - Larger with more hiss like call a raspy call
- Ninox spilonotus fischeri (Tablas) - Smaller with a raspy call
Habitat and Conservation Status
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland primary forest and secondary forests up to an altitude of 1000 metres above sea level.[5]
The IUCN Red List classifies this bird as an endangered species with population estimates of 250 to 999 mature individuals. This species' main threat is habitat loss with wholesale clearance of forest habitats as a result of legal and illegal logging, mining and conversion into farmlands through Slash-and-burn and urbanization.
This species occurs in protected areas such as Mount Guiting-Guiting but protection is lax and logging still supposedly occurs. Mt Palaupau serves as a watershed for Tablas Island.
There are no species specific conservation programs going on at the moment.
References
- ↑ BirdLife International (2017). "Ninox spilonotus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T22725493A118437516. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22725493A118437516.en. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22725493/118437516. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ↑ "Appendices | CITES". https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php.
- ↑ New Owl Species: Camiguin Hawk-Owl, Cebu Hawk-Owl Discovered In Philippines
- ↑ "Romblon Hawk-owl". https://ebird.org/species/romboo1/.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Allen, Desmond (2020). Birds of the Philippines. Barcelona: Lynx and Birdlife International Guides. pp. 172-177.
- Kennedy, R.S., Gonzales P.C., Dickinson E.C., Miranda, Jr, H.C., Fisher T.H. (2000) A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Wikidata ☰ Q2724476 entry
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