Pharaoh Eagle-Owl

Pharaoh Eagle-Owl
At Kakegawa Kacho-en, Kakegawa, Shizuoka, Japan
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Strigiformes
Family:	Strigidae
Genus:	Bubo
Species:	B. ascalaphus
Binomial name
Bubo ascalaphus Savigny, 1809

The Pharaoh Eagle-Owl (Bubo ascalaphus) is a species of owl in the Strigidae family. It is found in Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sudan, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates. At 46-50 cm long ′ the Pharaoh Eagle-Owl is one of the smaller eagle-owl species. It is an attractive bird of prey with striking, large orange-yellow eyes and mottled plumage. The head and upperparts are tawny and densely marked with black and creamy-white streaks and blotches, while the underparts are pale creamy-white, with black streaks on the upper breast and fine reddish-brown vermiculations on the lower breast and belly. The face has the disc-like form typical of most owls, defined by a dark rim, the robust bill is black and hooked, and the head is crowned with small ear tufts. There are two recognised subspecies of pharaoh eagle-owl, Bubo ascalaphus ascalaphus and Bubo ascalaphus desertorum , the latter being smaller and paler with sandier colouration

References

• BirdLife International 2004. Bubo ascalaphus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 24 July 2007.

External links

• Media related to Bubo ascalaphus at Wikimedia Commons