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Mindoro scops owl

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Mindoro scops owl
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Strigiformes
Family: Strigidae
Genus: Otus
Species:
O. mindorensis
Binomial name
Otus mindorensis
(Whitehead, 1899)

The Mindoro scops owl (Otus mindorensis) is an owl that is native to the Mindoro island in the Philippines. It is found in tropical moist montane forests above 870 masl. It is threatened by habitat loss. It is one of the three highland specialist scops owls which includes the Luzon scops owl and the Mindanao scops owl.

Description and taxonomy

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Ebird describes this bird as "A fairly small owl of lower-elevation montane forest on the island of Mindoro, where it is the only scops-owl. Generally dark brown in plumage with a speckled pattern, warmer brown on the face and chest. Note the yellow eyes and short ear tufts. Song is a medium-pitched, whistled “weeuuu” which rises and falls slightly and is repeated at intervals, often in response to another individual.a

This species was once treated as a race of the Oriental scops owl and the Eurasian scops owl but greatly differs in morphology. It looks most similar to the Mantanani scops owl but greatly differs in habitat. [3]

Ecology and behavior

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Its diet is not known but presumed to be the insects. [4]

A specimen collected in the year 1896 reports that Mindoro Scop Owls have well developed eggs. Other collected specimens have well-developed gonads in the months of January to May[3] Their eggs and nests are not described.[3]

Habitat and conservation status

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They live in a terrestrial environment and their main habitat consists of the highly elevated forests with a very small global range[5] Meaning they do not migrate or have movement patterns. The ongoing clearance of forest habitats has slightly affected their habitat.[5]

The Mindoro scops owl is a near threatened species due to on-going habitat destruction and is estimated to have 10,000-19,999 mature individuals with the population believed to be declining[6]

References

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  1. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Otus mindorensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22688608A93202581. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22688608A93202581.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. ^ a b c Holt, Denver W.; Berkley, Regan; Deppe, Caroline; Enríquez, Paula L.; Petersen, Julie L.; Rangel Salazar, José Luis; Segars, Kelley P.; Wood, Kristin L.; Marks, Jeffrey S. (2020). "Mindoro Scops-Owl (Otus mindorensis), version 1.0". Birds of the World. doi:10.2173/bow.misowl2.01.
  4. ^ Holt, Denver W.; Berkley, Regan; Deppe, Caroline; Enríquez, Paula L.; Petersen, Julie L.; Rangel Salazar, José Luis; Segars, Kelley P.; Wood, Kristin L.; Marks, Jeffrey S. (2020). "Mindoro Scops-Owl (Otus mindorensis), version 1.0". Birds of the World. doi:10.2173/bow.misowl2.01species_shared.bow.project_name. ISSN 2771-3105.
  5. ^ a b "Mindoro Scops Owl - Otus mindorensis". Observation.org. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  6. ^ "Mindoro Scops-owl". 2016.