Long-whiskered owlet

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Long-whiskered owlet
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Strigiformes
Family: Strigidae
Genus: Xenoglaux
O'Neill & Graves, GR, 1977
Species:
X. loweryi
Binomial name
Xenoglaux loweryi
O'Neill & Graves, 1977

The long-whiskered owlet (Xenoglaux loweryi) is a

San Martín departments of northern Peru.[4]

Taxonomy and systematics

The long-whiskered owlet was described in a 1977 paper from three specimens collected in August 1976. Though the species somewhat resembles several other small owls, the authors assigned it to a new genus, Xenoglaux, a combination of the

specific epithet loweryi in recognition of George H. Lowery, Jr., for "his influence upon us and upon neotropical ornithology".[5] A few more specimens were collected in succeeding years, and the bird was audio recorded after capture in a mist net in 2002. The first sighting in the wild was in 2007.[6][7][8]

The original authors proposed that the long-whiskered owlet was most closely related to the owls of genus

molecular phylogenetic study of the owls published in 2019 confirmed that the species' closest relatives are the elf owl and the collared owlet. At the time of that study the latter was named Glaucidium brodiei but the study also revealed that it did not belong in that genus. The study authors suggested restoring it to an earlier genus Taenioptynx and most taxonomic systems adopted the change.[9][3][10]

The long-whiskered owlet is the only member of its genus and has no subspecies.[3]

Description

The long-whiskered owlet is one of the world's smallest owls. It is 13 to 14 cm (5.1 to 5.5 in) long; three individuals weighed an average of 48 g (1.7 oz).

cere, and their legs and feet pink.[5][4][11]

Distribution and habitat

The long-whiskered owlet is found in the Andes of northern Peru. All of the known locations are near the site where it was discovered, Abra Patricia (a pass on the border of

bromeliads, epiphytes, and other vegetation above a forest floor with a thick layer of humus. It contained dense thickets of Chusquea bamboo, palms, and tree ferns.[5] As of 2010 it was known at elevations between 1,900 and 2,400 m (6,200 and 7,900 ft); since then additional discoveries extended its upper limit to 2,600 m (8,500 ft).[4][6][8] Lane and Angulo suspect that the species may be more widespread than known because similar habitat is found elsewhere in the general region, and they suggest extensive surveys be made in new areas.[8]

Behavior

Movement

The long-whiskered owlet is a year-round resident throughout its range.[11]

Feeding

The long-whiskered owlet's diet and feeding behavior have not been described.[11] However, one specimen's stomach contained insect remains.[8]

Breeding

Nothing is definitely known about the long-whiskered owlet's breeding biology.[11] Specimens collected between late July and October showed no physiological signs of active breeding, so it is hypothesized that the species breeds between November and June.[8]

Dickcissel male perched on a metal pole singing, with neck stretched and beak open.

Songs and calls
Listen to long-whiskered owlet on xeno-canto

Vocalization

What is thought to be the long-whiskered owlet's primary song is "a single, slightly hoarse, hoot, rising then falling slightly in pitch: whoOOo...apparently given in a series of 4–6 notes/min."[4] "It may also give a rapid, low-pitched trill, which is rarely heard."[7]

Status

The

IUCN originally in 1988 assessed the long-whiskered owlet as Near Threatened, then in 2000 as Endangered, and since 2020 as Vulnerable. It is known from fewer than 15 sites within a restricted range and has an estimated population of between 250 and 1000 mature individuals. The population is believed to be stable. The principle threat is clearance of its habitat for timber, agriculture, and mining though as of 2018 "[h]abitat loss within the range has however been negligible over the past ten years, not causing any population declines".[1] Lane and Angulo "suspect that the heart of the distribution of the Long-whiskered Owlet is likely to be protected...by the Aguaruna [indigenous community] and the sheer inhospitable geography" of the area.[8] Several private protected areas such as Copallin, Hierba Buena-Allpayacu, and Abra Patricia-Alto Nieva have records of the species.[1] The American Bird Conservancy and its Peruvian partner Asociación Ecosistemas Andinos (ECOAN) established the Abra Patricia Reserve in 2005 to protect the owlet and other threatened species of birds and mammals.[7]

References

  1. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22689320A180768478.en
    . Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. ^
    Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2024). "Owls"
    . IOC World Bird List. v 14.1. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Schulenberg, T.S., D.F. Stotz, D.F. Lane, J.P. O’Neill, and T.A. Parker III. 2010. Birds of Peru. Revised and updated edition. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey plate 80
  5. ^ a b c d O'Neill, John P.; Graves, Gary R. (1977). "A new genus and species of owl (Aves: Strigidae) from Peru" (PDF). The Auk. 94 (3): 409–416. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c "Long-whiskered Owlet Xenoglaux loweryi". BirdLife International. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c "Long-whiskered Owlet". ABC Bird Library. American Bird Conservancy. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Lane, Daniel F.; Angulo, Fernado (2018). "The distribution, natural history, and status of the Long-whiskered Owlet (Xenoglaux loweryi)". The Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 130 (3): 650–657.
  9. hdl:2346/93048
    .
  10. ^ Clements, J. F., P.C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2023. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2023. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ retrieved October 28, 2023
  11. ^ a b c d e f Schulenberg, T. S. and M. G. Harvey (2020). Long-whiskered Owlet (Xenoglaux loweryi), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.lowowl1.01 retrieved April 10, 2024
  12. ISBN 978-0-300-07920-3
    .

External links
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