African wood owl

African Wood Owl
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Subkingdom	Bilateria
Branch	Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum	Chordata
Sub-phylum	Vertebrata
Infraphylum	Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass	Tetrapoda
Class	Aves
Sub-class	Neornithes
Infra-class	Neoaves
Order Information
Order	Strigiformes
Family Information
Family	Strigidae
Sub-family	Striginae
Genus Information
Genus	Strix
Species Information
Species	S. woodfordii
Population statistics
Conservation status	Least concern

The African wood owl (Strix woodfordii) is a medium-sized owl found in the forested areas of sub-Saharan Africa.

Subspecies

The following subspecies are recognized by some authorities, based on slight differences in size and appearance:

• Strix woodfordii nigricantior
• Strix woodfordii nuchalis
• Strix woodfordii umbrina
• Strix woodfordii woodfordii

Range

This species is the most common wood owl in Africa. It is found in Senegal east toward Sudan, southward into the Congo basin and Angola; on the eastern side of the continent it ranges from Ethiopia to South Africa.

African wood owls inhabit dense forest and woodland areas, including attached riverine, coastal forests, and forest edges. They are often seen on plantations, due in part to easy access to rodents as a result of human development and farming.