West Solomons Owl
Athene jacquinoti
A rather small orange-eyed owl with lightly spotted brown upperparts and paler underparts. Prefers well-developed forest, mainly in lowlands, but up to 1500 meters of elevation. Unlikely to overlap in range with any similar species. Vocal range poorly known, but a series of monotone “poop” or “chong” notes is regularly reported. Found from Bougainville, Buka, and Choiseul in the north to Florida Island in the south. Formerly lumped with Guadalcanal, Malaita, and Makira Owls under the name “Solomons Boobook.”
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Athene jacquinoti
- Authority
- Bonaparte, 1850
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Strigidae
- Genus
- Athene
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
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