Greyish Eagle-owl

Taxobox
name = Greyish Eagle-owl


status = "Not recognised"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Strigiformes
familia = Strigidae
genus = "Bubo"
species = "B. cinerascens"
binomial = "Bubo cinerascens"
binomial_authority = Guérin-Méneville, 1843
synonyms = The Greyish Eagle-owl or Vermiculated Eagle-owl, "Bubo cinerascens", is a rather large owl of Africa.

It is closely related to the Spotted Eagle-owl, of which is it sometimes considered the northern subspecies, "B. africanus cinerascens".Citation | last1 = Zimmerman | first1 = Dale A. | last2 = Turner | first2 = Donald A. | last3 = Pearson | first3 = David J. | year = 1999 | title = Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania | publisher = Princeton University Press | pages = 128–9, 374 | id = ISBN 978-0-691-01022-9] Citation | last = Lepage | first = Denis | year = 2003–2007 | title = Avibase - the world bird database | url = http://www.bsc-eoc.org/avibase/avibase.jsp?pg=summary&lang=EN&id=B4E343C320E09F2C&ts=1190523284250 | accessdate = Sept. 22, 2007]

It is found in the northern part of sub-Saharan Africa from Mauretania and Liberia east to Sudan and Somalia. Its habitats include dry rocky deserts and open savannah, as well as lowland forests in Somalia.Citation | last = Weick | first = Friedhelm | year = 2006 | title = Owls (Strigiformes): Annotated and Illustrated Checklist | publisher = Springer | pages = 111–113 | isbn = 978-3-540-35234-1]

This species is about 43 cm (17 inches) long and weighs about 500 g (1.1 lb). Like the Spotted Eagle-owl, the Greyish Eagle-owl has mottled dark brown, buff, and white upperparts and finely barred (vermiculated) underparts giving a greyish-brown appearance. It differs from the Spotted Eagle-owl in having dark brown (not yellow) eyes and a brownish facial disk marked with a heavy brown circle around each eye. It also has morphological differences, such as being lighter though about the same length and having shorter tarsi. In the area of overlap, the Spotted Eagle-owl and the present species are not known to interbreed.

References

External links

* [http://www.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/especie.phtml?idEspecie=2635 Videos of the Greyish Eagle-owl] from the Internet Bird Collection