Strigidae: Typical Owls
The “typical owls” are a large, cosmopolitan family of nocturnal raptors that have held a place in the human imagination since prehistorical times. They figure into the folklore of most societies, most prominently as the emblem of wisdom in Western Civilization—e.g., as the totem of the Classical Greek goddess Athena.
The typical owls are distinct from the other owl family, the “barn owls” (Tytonidae), in some aspects of their basic anatomy, as the two lineages diverged approximately 47 million years ago. The Strigidae are far more diverse, ranging in size from the tiny Elf Owl (5”) to the enormous Eurasian Eagle-Owl (30”), and they exploit a correspondingly wide array of prey animals, from crickets to small deer.
Identification
Most species are rarely seen in daylight, and many are difficult, if not impossible, to identify by sight alone. In many cases, the plumage differences within a species are more pronounced than the differences between closely related species, due in part to the prevalence of polymorphism—the coexistence of reddish and grayish color morphs within a single species is surprisingly common, and usually more accurately conceived as a spectrum of variation. Consequently, voice, range, and habitat are often essential to the field identification of owls.
Taxonomy
The internal relationships of the Strigidae can be understood as three large subfamilies, two of which are further divided into a total of nine tribes, as follows:
Striginae: Eared owls (151 to 182 species, plus 3 extinct)
Otini: Scops-owls (56 to 67 species, plus 3 extinct)
Asionini: Eared owls (10 to 15 species)
Megascopini: Screech-owls (29 to 34 species)
Pulsatrigini: Spectacled owls (5 species)
Strigini: Wood owls (26 to 32 species)
Bubonini: Eagle owls (25 to 29 species)
Surniinae: Little owls (49 to 79 species, plus 2 extinct)
Aegolini: Saw-whet owls (4 to 6 species, plus 1 extinct)
Athenini: Little owls (11 to 25 species)
Surniini: Pygmy-owls (34 to 48 species, plus 1 extinct)
Ninoxinae: Hawk owls (37 to 44 species, plus 1 extinct)
(Included here in the “little owl” tribe are three Neotropical species whose affiliations are uncertain: Bare-legged Owl, Elf Owl, and Long-whiskered Owlet.)
Under the current, evolving understanding of owl taxonomy, the Strigidae comprise somewhere in the range of 237 to 305 species, plus 6 recently extinct. Previously undescribed species and forms are still being discovered in the field, and the species-level taxonomy of several groups is in flux. The number of recognized species of pygmy-owls in the Americas, for example, has more than tripled from six species recognized in the 1980s to 21 (and counting) recognized today, based largely on analyses of vocalizations and mitochondrial DNA evidence.
Giant Scops-Owl (Otus gurneyi)
White-fronted Scops-Owl (Otus sagittatus)
Andaman Scops-Owl (Otus balli)
Reddish Scops-Owl (Otus rufescens)
Serendib Scops-Owl (Otus thilohoffmanni)
Cinnamon Scops-Owl (Otus icterorhynchus)
“Cinnamon Scops-Owl” (O. i. icterorhynchus)
“Rufous Scops-Owl” (O. i. holerythrus)
Sokoke Scops-Owl (Otus ireneae)
Flores Scops-Owl (Otus alfredi)
Mountain Scops-Owl (Otus spilocephalus)
Rajah Scops-Owl (Otus brookii)
Javan Scops-Owl (Otus angelinae)
Mentawai Scops-Owl (Otus mentawi)
Indian Scops-Owl (Otus bakkamoena)
Collared Scops-Owl (Otus lettia)
Sunda Scops-Owl (Otus lempiji)
Singapore Scops-Owl (Otus cnephaeus)
Japanese Scops-Owl (Otus semitorques)
Wallace’s Scops-Owl (Otus silvicola)
Palawan Scops-Owl (Otus fuliginosus)
Philippine Scops-Owl (Otus megalotis)
Everett’s Scops-Owl (Otus everetti)
Negros Scops-Owl (Otus nigrorum)
Mindoro Scops-Owl (Otus mindorensis)
Moluccan Scops-Owl (Otus magicus)
Sula Scops-Owl (Otus sulaensis)
Wetar Scops-Owl (Otus tempestatis)
Rinjani Scops-Owl (Otus jolandae)
Mantanani Scops-Owl (Otus mantananensis)
Elegant Scops-Owl (Otus elegans)
“Ryukyu Scops-Owl” (O. e. elegans)
“Lanyu Scops-Owl” (O. e. botelensis)
“Calayan Scops-Owl” (O. e. calayensis)
Sulawesi Scops-Owl (Otus manadensis)
“Sulawesi Scops-Owl” (O. m. manadensis)
“Banggai Scops-Owl” (O. m. mendeni)
“Siau Scops-Owl” (O. m. siaoensis)
“Kalidupa Scops-Owl” (O. m. kalidupae)
Sangihe Scops-Owl (Otus collari)
Biak Scops-Owl (Otus beccarii)
Simeulue Scops-Owl (Otus umbra)
Enggano Scops-Owl (Otus enganensis)
Nicobar Scops-Owl (Otus alius)
Arabian Scops-Owl (Otus pamelae)
European Scops-Owl (Otus scops)
Cyprus Scops-Owl (Otus cyprius)
Pemba Scops-Owl (Otus pembaensis)
São Tomé Scops-Owl (Otus hartlaubi)
African Scops-Owl (Otus senegalensis)
“African Scops-Owl” (O. s. senegalensis)
“Annabon Scops-Owl” (O. s. feae)
“Snowy Scops-Owl” (O. s. nivosus)
Pallid Scops-Owl (Otus brucei)
Socotra Scops-Owl (Otus socotranus)
Mindanao Scops-Owl (Otus mirus)
Luzon Scops-Owl (Otus longicornis)
Mohéli Scops-Owl (Otus moheliensis)
Grand Comoro Scops-Owl (Otus pauliani)
Seychelles Scops-Owl (Otus insularis)
Oriental Scops-Owl (Otus sunia)
“Oriental Scops-Owl” (O. s. sunia)
“Sri Lanka Scops-Owl” (O. s. leggei)
“Unstreaked Scops-Owl” (O. s. nicobaricus)
“Bengal Scops-Owl” (O. s. ssp. nova)
Anjouan Scops-Owl (Otus capnodes)
Mayotte Scops-Owl (Otus mayottensis)
Madagascar Scops-Owl (Otus rutilus)
Torotoroka Scops-Owl (Otus madagascariensis)
Réunion Owl (Mascarenotus grucheti) †
Mauritius Owl (Mascarenotus sauzieri) †
Rodrigues Owl (Mascarenotus grucheti) †
Northern White-faced Owl (Ptilopsis leucotis)
Southern White-faced Owl (Ptilopsis granti)
Fearful Owl (Asio solomonensis)
“Striped Owl” (A. c. clamator)
“Tumbes Owl” (A. c. ssp. nova)
“Eurasian Long-eared Owl” (A. o. otus)
“American Long-eared Owl” (A. o. wilsonianus)
Abyssinian Owl (Asio abyssinicus)
Madagascan Owl (Asio madagascariensis)
Galápagos Short-eared Owl (A. f. galapagoensis)
Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)
“Antillean Short-eared Owl” (A. f. domingensis)
“Southern Short-eared Owl” (A. f. suinda)
“Northern Short-eared Owl” (A. f. flammeus)
“Hawaiian Short-eared Owl” (A. f. sandwichensis)
Flammulated Owl (Psiloscops flammeolus)
Western Screech-Owl (Megascops kennicottii)
“Western Screech-Owl” (M. k. kennicottii)
“Vinaceous Screech-Owl” (M. k. vinaceus)
“Sutton’s Screech-Owl” (M. k. suttoni)
Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio)
“Eastern Screech-Owl” (Megascops asio)
“McCall’s Screech-Owl” (Megascops mccallii)
Balsas Screech-Owl (Megascops seductus)
Oaxaca Screech-Owl (Megascops lambi)
Pacific Screech-Owl (Megascops cooperi)
Whiskered Screech-Owl (Megascops trichopsis)
Tropical Screech-Owl (Megascops choliba)
Peruvian Screech-Owl (Megascops roboratus)
Tumbes Screech-Owl (Megascops pacificus)
Maria Koepcke’s Screech-Owl (Megascops koepckeae)
“Maria Koepcke’s Screech-Owl” (M. k. koepckeae)
“Apurimac Screech-Owl” (M. k. hockingi)
Bearded Screech-Owl (Megascops barbarus)
Colombian Screech-Owl (Megascops colombianus)
Rufescent Screech-Owl (Megascops ingens)
Cinnamon Screech-Owl (Megascops petersoni)
Cloud Forest Screech-Owl (Megascops marshalli)
Northern Tawny-bellied Screech-Owl (Megascops watsonii)
Southern Tawny-bellied Screech-Owl (Megascops usta)
Black-capped Screech-Owl (Megascops atricapilla)
Montane Forest Screech-Owl (Megascops hoyi)
Santa Marta Screech-Owl (Megascops gilesi)
Long-tufted Screech-Owl (Megascops sanctaecatarinae)
Guatemalan Screech-Owl (Megascops guatemalae)
Vermiculated Screech-Owl (Megascops vermiculatus)
Chocó Screech-Owl (Megascops centralis)
Roraima Screech-Owl (Megascops roraimae)
Río Napo Screech-Owl (Megascops napensis)
Bare-shanked Screech-Owl (Megascops clarkii)
White-throated Screech-Owl (Megascops albogularis)
Crested Owl (Lophostrix cristata)
Spectacled Owl (Pulsatrix perspicillata)
Short-browed Owl (Pulsatrix pusaltrix)
Tawny-browed Owl (Pulsatrix koeniswaldiana)
Band-bellied Owl (Pulsatrix melanota)
Spotted Wood-Owl (Strix seloputo)
Mottled Wood-Owl (Strix ocellata)
Brown Wood-Owl (Strix leptogrammica)
Nias Wood-Owl (Strix niasensis)
Bartels’s Wood-Owl (Strix bartelsi)
Mountain Wood-Owl (Strix newarensis)
Tawny Owl (Strix aluco)
“Tawny Owl” (S. a. aluco)
“Atlas Owl” (S. a. mauritanica)
Omani Owl (Strix butleri)
African Wood-Owl (Strix woodfordii)
Himalayan Owl (Strix nivicolum)
Mexican Wood-Owl (Strix squamulata)
Mottled Owl (Strix virgata)
“Northern Mottled Owl” (S. v. virgata)
“Amazonian Mottled Owl” (S. v. superciliaris)
“Atlantic Mottled Owl” (S. v. borelliana)
Black-and-white Owl (Strix nigrolineata)
Black-banded Owl (Strix huhula)
Rufous-banded Owl (Strix albitarsis)
Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis)
“Northern Spotted Owl” (S. o. caurina)
“California Spotted Owl” (S. o. occidentalis)
“Mexican Spotted Owl” (S. o. lucida)
Barred Owl (Strix varia)
Cinereous Owl (Strix sartorii)
Fulvous Owl (Strix fulvescens)
Rusty-barred Owl (Strix hylophila)
Rufous-legged Owl (Strix rufipes)
Chaco Owl (Strix chacoensis)
Ural Owl (Strix uralensis)
Sichuan Wood-Owl (Strix davidi)
Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa)
Maned Owl (Jubula lettii)
Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)
Lesser Horned Owl (Bubo magellanicus)
Eurasian Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo)
Rock Eagle-Owl (Bubo bengalensis)
Pharaoh Eagle-Owl (Bubo ascalaphus)
“Pharaoh Eagle-Owl” (B. a. ascalaphus)
“Desert Eagle-Owl” (B. a. desertorum)
Cape Eagle-Owl (Bubo capensis)
“Ethiopian Eagle-Owl” (B. c. dillonii)
“East African Eagle-Owl” (B. c. mackinderi)
“Cape Eagle-Owl” (B. c. capensis)
Spotted Eagle-Owl (Bubo africanus)
“Spotted Eagle-Owl” (B. a. africanus)
“Arabian Eagle-Owl” (B. a. milesi)
Grayish Eagle-Owl (Bubo cinerascens)
Fraser’s Eagle-Owl (Bubo poensis)
Usambara Eagle-Owl (Bubo vosseleri)
Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl (Bubo nipalensis)
Barred Eagle-Owl (Bubo sumatranus)
Shelley’s Eagle-Owl (Bubo shelleyi)
Milky Eagle-Owl (Bubo lacteus)
Dusky Eagle-Owl (Bubo coromandus)
Akun Eagle-Owl (Bubo leucostictus)
Philippine Eagle-Owl (Bubo philippensis)
Blakiston’s Fish-Owl (Bubo blakistoni)
Brown Fish-Owl (Bubo zeylonensis)
Tawny Fish-Owl (Bubo flavipes)
Malay Fish-Owl (Bubo ketupu)
Pel’s Fish-Owl (Bubo peli)
Rufous Fish-Owl (Bubo ussheri)
Vermiculated Fish-Owl (Bubo bouvieri)
Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus)
“Richardson’s Owl” (A. f. richardsoni)
“Tengmalm’s Owl” (A. f. funereus)
Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus)
“Northern Saw-whet Owl” (A. a. acadicus)
“Haida Gwaii Saw-whet Owl” (A. a. brooksi)
Bermuda Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius gradyi) †
Unspotted Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius ridgwayi)
Buff-fronted Owl (Aegolius harrisii)
Forest Owlet (Athene blewitti)
Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)
“Western Burrowing Owl” (A. c. hypugaea)
“Clarión Island Burrowing Owl” (A. c. rostrata)
“Florida Burrowing Owl” (A. c. floridana)
“Hispaniolan Burrowing Owl” (A. c. troglodytes)
“Venezuelan Burrowing Owl” (A. c. brachyptera)
“Ecuadorian Burrowing Owl” (A. c. pichinchae)
“Llanos Burrowing Owl” (A. c. carrikeri)
“Guianan Burrowing Owl” (A. c. minor)
“Brazilian Burrowing Owl” (A. c. grallaria)
“Desert Burrowing Owl” (A. c. nanodes)
“Andean Burrowing Owl” (A. c. juninensis)
“Southern Burrowing Owl” (A. c. cunicularia)
Little Owl (Athene noctua)
“Little Owl” (A. n. noctua)
“Hutton’s Little Owl” (A. n. bactriana)
“Tibetan Little Owl” (A. n. ludlowi)
Lilith Owl (Athene lilith)
Ethiopian Little Owl (Athene spilogastra)
Gray-bellied Little Owl (Athene poikilis)
Northern Little Owl (Athene plumipes)
Spotted Little Owl (Athene brama)
Puerto Rican Owl (Gymnasio nudipes)
Bare-legged Owl (Margarobyas lawrencii)
Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi)
Long-whiskered Owlet (Xenoglaux loweryi)
Northern Hawk-Owl (Surnia ulula)
Eurasian Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium passerinum)
Collared Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium brodiei)
“Collared Pygmy-Owl” (G. b. brodiei)
“Taiwan Pygmy-Owl” (G. b. pardalotum)
“Sumatra Pygmy-Owl” (G. b. sylvaticum)
“Borneo Pygmy-Owl” (G. b. borneense)
Red-chested Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium tephronotum)
“Red-chested Pygmy-Owl” (G. t. tephronotum)
“Pycraft’s Pygmy-Owl” (G. t. pycrafti)
“Congo Pygmy-Owl” (G. t. medje)
Pearl-spotted Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium perlatum)
Northern Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium californicum)
“Northern Pygmy-Owl” (G. c. californicum)
“Rocky Mountain Pygmy-Owl” (G. c. pinicola)
Mountain Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium gnoma)
Cape Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium hoskinsii)
Guatemalan Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium cobanense)
Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium costaricanum)
Cloud Forest Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium nubicola)
Andean Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium jardinii)
Yungas Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium bolivianum)
Subtropical Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium parkeri)
Central American Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium griseiceps)
Tamaulipas Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium sanchezi)
Colima Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium palmarum)
Amazonian Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium hardyi)
Pernambuco Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium mooreorum) †
Sick’s Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium minutissimum)
Ridgway’s Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium ridgwayi)
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium brasilianum)
“Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl” (G. b. brasilianum)
“Colombian Pygmy-Owl” (G. b. medianum)
“Trinidad Pygmy-Owl” (G. b. phaloenoides)
“Duida Pygmy-Owl” (G. b. duidae)
“Ucayali Pygmy-Owl” (G. b. ucayalae)
Chaco Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium tucumanum)
Peruvian Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium peruanum)
“Peruvian Pygmy-Owl” (G. p. peruanum)
“Ecuadorian Pygmy-Owl” (G. p. ssp. nova)
“Apurimac Pygmy-Owl” (G. p. ssp. nova)
Austral Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium nana)
Cuban Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium siju)
Jungle Owlet (Taemioglaux radiata)
Chestnut-backed Owlet (Taemioglaux castanota)
Javan Owlet (Taemioglaux castanoptera)
Asian Barred Owlet (Taemioglaux cuculoides)
Sjöstedt’s Owlet (Taemioglaux sjostedti)
Etchécopar’s Owlet (Taemioglaux etchecopari)
African Barred Owlet (Taemioglaux capense)
“Scheffler’s Owlet” (T. c. scheffleri)
“African Barred Owlet” (T. c. ngamiense)
“Cape Owlet” (T. c. capense)
Albertine Owlet (Taemioglaux albertinum)
Chestnut Owlet (Taemioglaux castaneum)
Laughing Owl (Sceloglaux albifacies) †
Palau Owl (Pyrroglaux podargina)
Rufous Owl (Ninox rufa)
Powerful Owl (Ninox strenua)
Barking Owl (Ninox connivens)
Sumba Boobook (Ninox rudolfi)
Southern Boobook (Ninox boobook)
“Southern Boobook” (N. b. boobook)
“Roti Boobook” (N. b. rotiensis)
“Alor Boobook” (N. b. plesseni)
“Cinnamon Boobook” (N. b. cinnamomina)
Morepork (Ninox novaeseelandiae)
Red Boobook (Ninox lurida)
Tasmanian Boobook (Ninox leucopsis)
Brown Hawk-Owl (Ninox scutulata)
Northern Boobook (Ninox japonica)
Chocolate Boobook (Ninox randi)
Hume’s Hawk-Owl (Ninox obscura)
Andaman Hawk-Owl (Ninox affinis)
Mindoro Hawk-Owl (Ninox mindorensis)
White-browed Hawk-Owl (Ninox superciliaris)
Luzon Hawk-Owl (Ninox philippensis)
Mindanao Hawk-Owl (Ninox spilocephala)
Romblon Hawk-Owl (Ninox spilonota)
Cebu Hawk-Owl (Ninox rumseyi)
Camiguin Hawk-Owl (Ninox leventisi)
Sula Hawk-Owl (Ninox reyi)
Ochre-bellied Hawk-Owl (Ninox ochracea)
Solomon Boobook (Ninox jacquinoti)
“West Solomons Boobook” (N. j. jacquinoti)
“Guadalcanal Boobook” (N. j. granti)
“Malaita Boobook” (N. j. malaitae)
“Makira Boobook” (N. j. roseoaxillaris)
Jungle Hawk-Owl (Ninox theomacha)
Speckled Hawk-Owl (Ninox punctulata)
Russet Hawk-Owl (Ninox odiosa)
Moluccan Hawk-Owl (Ninox squamipila)
Halmahera Hawk-Owl (Ninox hypogramma)
“Halmahera Hawk-Owl” (N. h. hypogramma)
“Bacan Hawk-Owl” (N. h. ssp. nova)
Tanimbar Hawk-Owl (Ninox forbesi)
Cinnabar Hawk-Owl (Ninox ios)
Togian Hawk-Owl (Ninox burhani)
Little Sumba Hawk-Owl (Ninox sumbaensis)
Christmas Island Hawk-Owl (Ninox natalis)
Manus Hawk-Owl (Ninox meeki)
Bismarck Hawk-Owl (Ninox variegata)
Papuan Hawk-Owl (Uroglaux dimorpha)
References
Hume, J.P. 2017. Extinct Birds (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, London.
König, C., and F. Weick. 2008. Owls of the World (Second Edition). Yale University Press, New Haven.
Mikkola, H. 2012. Owls of the World: A Photographic Guide. Firefly Books, London.
Roberson, D. 2015. Bird Families of the World: Owls, Strigidae, http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/owls.html. (Posted December 22, 2015. Accessed October 20, 2019.)