Ashy-faced owl
| Ashy-faced 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 | Tytonidae |
| Sub-family | Tytoninae |
| Genus Information | |
| Genus | Tyto |
| Species Information | |
| Species | T. glaucops |
| Population statistics | |
| Conservation status | Least concern[1] |
The ashy-faced owl (Tyto glaucops), or Hispaniolan barn owl, is a medium-sized barn owl found on the islands of Hispaniola and Tortuga in the Caribbean.
Description
Ashy-faced owls are approximately fifteen inches long, with a wingspan of about two feet. Females are slightly larger than males. Like barn owls, the ashy-faced owl is a buff-to-yellowish brown above with blackish vermiculations, with a lighter, tan-colored chest marked with black spots. The facial disk, however, is a greyish tone, hence the name. The primaries, secondaries and tail are marked with dark bars.
Habitat
The ashy-faced owl is an open-country bird, but it does inhabit forests as long as it has easy access to fields and grassy areas, and often near human settlements. It ranges in elevation lowlands to above 6,000 feet elevation.
Diet
Like other owls, the ashy-faced owl hunts small mammals, reptiles, birds, and insects. Prey items are swallowed whole, with bones, fur, and feathers regurgitated later as a pellet; these pellets enable researchers to gauge the feeding habits as well as the bird's impact on local wildlife and pest control.
