Dusky eagle-owl

The dusky eagle-owl (Bubo coromandus) is an owl species in the family Strigidae that is widespread in South and Southeast Asia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The species's extent of occurrence is estimated at 9,250,000 km2 (3,570,000 sq mi).[1][2]

Dusky eagle-owl
Dusky eagle-owl in Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Strigiformes
Family: Strigidae
Genus: Bubo
Species:
B. coromandus
Binomial name
Bubo coromandus
(Latham, 1790)

Taxonomy

Bubo coromanda first described by John Latham in 1790 was a zoological specimen from the Coromandel Coast.[3] This is the nominate subspecies that occurs in South Asia. In the 20th century, the following subspecies was described:[4]

  • Bubo coromandus klossii described by Herbert C. Robinson in 1911 was an adult dark brown male eagle-owl collected in north Perak, Malaysia.[5] This subspecies is thought to occur in Southeast Asia.[4][6]

Description

The dusky eagle-owl is a large greyish-brown owl with prominent ear tufts. Its underparts are greyish white with some dark brown streaks, and its dark brown wings have some whitish streaks. It is about 58 cm (23 in) in size.[7]

Distribution and habitat

The dusky eagle-owl occurs from Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh to Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia into China.[1] In Peninsular Malaysia, it has been recorded in oil palm plantations during surveys carried out between autumn 2009 and 2010 in the states of Selangor, Perak, Pahang and Negeri Sembilan.[8]

Its preferred habitats are wetlands with dense tree cover.[7][9]

Behaviour and ecology
A dusky eagle-owl pair in Faridabad, Haryana, India

The dusky eagle-owl is usually active at night and emerges from its roost shortly before sunset. In cloudy weather, it sometimes also hunts during the day.[7]

The nesting season is from November to April. The nest is made of sticks in the fork of the trunk of a large tree preferably near water and often in the vicinity of human habitation.

References
  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Bubo coromandus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2016: e.T22688992A93213395. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22688992A93213395.en.{{cite iucn}}: error: malformed |page= identifier (help)
  2. BirdLife International (2018). "Dusky Eagle Bubo coromandus". BirdLife International. Retrieved 2013-06-15.
  3. Latham, J. (1790). "Genus III. Strix". Index Ornithologicus, Sive Systema Ornithologiae: Complectens Avium Divisionem In Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, Ipsarumque Varietates. London: Leigh & Sotheby. pp. 51–53.
  4. Marks, J. S.; Cannings, R. J. & Mikkola, H. (1999). "Family Strigidae (Typical Owls)". In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 5: Barn-owls to Hummingbirds. Barcelona, Spain: Lynx Edicions.
  5. Robinson, H. C. (1911). "On a Horned Owl, new to the Malay Peninsula". Journal of the Federated Malay States Museums. IV (4): 246–247.
  6. Gyldenstolpe, N. C. (1920). "A Nominal List of the Birds at present known to inhabit Siam". The Ibis. Eleventh Series. 2 (4): 735–780.
  7. Grimmett, R.; Inskipp., Inskipp, C. (2000). "Large Owls". Birds of Nepal. New Delhi: Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 84. ISBN 9780713651669.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. Jambari, A.; Azhar, B.; Ibrahim, N.L.; Jamian, S.; Hussin, A.; Puan, C.L.; Noor, H.M.; Yusof, E. & Zakaria, M. (2012). "Avian biodiversity and conservation in Malaysian oil palm production areas" (PDF). Journal of Oil Palm Research. 24: 1277–1286.
  9. Ali, S.; Ripley, S. D.; Dick, J. H. (1993). "Dusky Horned Owl". A pictorial Guide to Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (Third ed.). Bombay: Bombay Natural History Society. p. 122. ISBN 0195616340.
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