Fearful Owl
Asio solomonensis
A medium-sized owl with a large, powerful beak and talons. Distinctive and unmistakable. Bushy white crescents begin as eyebrows and run down along the edges of the bill to flare out as mustaches. Note the large orange eyes. Otherwise mostly rufous, blotched and streaked with black. Prefers primary or well-developed secondary forest up to 800 meters of elevation. Vocally poorly known, but a single drawn-out mournful note has been reported.
Identification
The fearful owl is a large forest owl growing to a length of about 38 cm (15 in). It has a rufous facial disk and distinct white eyebrows. The inner edge of the facial disk is also white. It is usually mottled brown with deep ochre underparts and blackish streaks. This species may be confused with the Solomon hawk owl, although the latter is slightly smaller and more slender. It is also similar in appearance to the laughing owl, which is now extinct.<p>Its call is similar to a clear human scream, increasing in volume and tone and emitted in a series, each pulse being repeated at intervals of ten seconds.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Asio solomonensis
- Authority
- (Hartert, EJO, 1901)
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Strigidae
- Genus
- Asio
Range and habitat
The fearful owl is endemic to the island of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea and to Choiseul Island and to Santa Isabel Island in the Solomon Islands. It is found in old-growth lowland and hill forest, usually in primary forest but also sometimes in nearby secondary forest and woodland edges to at least 2,000 m (6,600 ft) above sea level.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Though generally nesting in tree holes and cracks, nests of the fearful owl have been found on the epiphyte-covered branches of large fig trees (Ficus spp.), both in primary forest and close to the forest edge and near gardens.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Black-throated Saltator
Saltatricula atricollis
Charismatic noisy inhabitant of savanna, Brazilian caatinga, and shrubby areas where it is easy to see, perching conspicuously on bushes and fence wires. Often accompanies mixed-species flocks. It has an olive-brown back, a pale belly, and a buff vent. Note the orange bill contrasting with the black face and chin. Immatures have a dark bill. The song is a series of fast and melodic whistles.
Fairy Flycatcher
Stenostira scita
A small, neat, mostly blue-gray bird with a dark mask, tail, and wings, a bold white wing-stripe, and a rose-washed pale belly. Singles and pairs flit between thorn trees, bushes, thickets, and woody gullies in the Karoo. It forages actively for insects, sometimes joining mixed-species flocks, characteristically fanning its tail and drooping its wings. The Fairy Flycatcher is resident in the south of its range but is mostly a non-breeding winter visitor farther north. Its presence is often betrayed by a distinctive high-pitched phrase of short squeaky notes typically rendered as “tseee-tseeeit-zee-tzee-tzweeet” or similar.
Choco Brushfinch
Atlapetes crassus
This chunky bird is dingy yellow below and dark brownish above with a tawny crown. Sexes similar. Could be confused with Yellow-breasted Brushfinch, which is found at higher elevations and has a brighter rufous crown. Pairs or small groups are found foraging in the lower levels of montane forest, edges and tangles, often clambering around a couple meters from the ground. Found from around 600–2,500 m.
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