Desert Owl
Strix hadorami
A shy, medium-sized owl of desert canyons. Sandy-brown overall with pale underparts and yellow eyes. Face and underparts are lightly marked, while the wing feathers and tail are boldly barred. Breeds in crevices, caves, and cliffs in desert canyons. Male song is a soft hoot, "Hu! Hu-hu hu-hu."
Taxonomy
This species was known for over a century by the scientific name Strix butleri, but a 2015 study demonstrated that the holotype of S. butleri was not actually a member of this species, but was instead most likely an Omani owl (which had been described as a new species, S. omanensis, in 2013). Because the allocation of Strix butleri to the Omani owl left the more widespread species without a name, the authors of the study named it S. hadorami after Israeli ornithologist Hadoram Shirihai, and gave it the new common name desert tawny owl (which has been subsequently shortened to desert owl by some authors).
- Scientific name
- Strix hadorami
- Authority
- Kirwan, Schweizer & Copete, 2015
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Strigidae
- Genus
- Strix
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Gray-crowned Munia
Lonchura nevermanni
A small bird of lowland grasslands in the Trans-Fly of New Guinea. Gray-brown back, white head, black throat. Rufous underparts and rump with a yellow tail and thick silver bill. The adult’s black throat is unmistakable. Juvenile White-spotted or Black Munias are similar but juvenile Gray-crowned is more uniform in color without any spots. Voice, soft twittering or individual “wik!” notes.
Oasis Hummingbird
Rhodopis vesper
Small hummingbird of desert lowlands and foothills. Found in gardens, agricultural areas with flowers, and native scrub; often fairly common. Best identified by combination of rather long arched bill and pale rusty rump patch; appreciably larger than most other superficially similar hummingbirds in its range, such as Peruvian Sheartail. Male has a magenta-rose gorget (often messy and incomplete). Female is drab whitish below with duskier sides.
Tawny Eagle
Aquila rapax
A medium-large, highly variable eagle that can range in overall color from whitish or creamy dull rufous to grayish-brown, and rarely dark brown. It has a moderately long gape line that stops at the center of the eye and slit-shaped nostrils. Legs are short and heavily feathered, with baggy “trousers.” Juveniles are generally paler than adults, while older immatures can have a dark hood and pale body. Mostly a bird of plains and open scrub; rarely seen over water, and avoids forests. Overall not as heavy looking as the Steppe Eagle, and never has a rich brown color tone.
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