The American (North and South America) horned owls and the

Old World The "Old World" () is a term for Afro-Eurasia coined by Europeans after 1493, when they became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia in the Eastern Hemisphere, previously ...

eagle-owls make up the

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

''Bubo'', at least as traditionally described. The genus name ''Bubo'' is

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

for

owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

. This genus contains 10 species that are found in many parts of the world. Some of the largest living Strigiformes are in ''Bubo''. Traditionally, only owls with ear-tufts were included in this genus, but that is no longer the case. White horned owl portrait

Taxonomy

The genus ''Bubo'' was introduced in 1805 by the French zoologist André Duméril for the horned owls. The

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

is the

Eurasian eagle-owl The Eurasian eagle-owl (''Bubo bubo'') is a species of eagle-owl, a type of bird that resides in much of Eurasia. It is often just called the eagle-owl in Europe and Asia. It is one of the largest species of owl. Females can grow to a total le ...

. The word ''bubo'' is

for the Eurasian eagle owl and was used as the specific epithet for the species by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

in 1758. A

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

study published in 2020 found that species in the genera ''

Scotopelia Fishing owls form the genus, ''Scotopelia'', of sub-Saharan African birds in the family true owl, Strigidae, the true owls. The genus is closely related to the genus ''Ketupa'', and may be embedded within it. The genus contains three species: ...

'' and ''

Ketupa ''Ketupa'' is a genus of owls in the family Strigidae. The genus formerly contained just three species, the fish owls but based on the results from a genetic study published in 2020, the generic boundaries were altered. The genus now contains twe ...

'' were embedded within the clade containing members of the genus ''Bubo'' making the genus ''Bubo''

paraphyletic Paraphyly is a taxonomic term describing a grouping that consists of the grouping's last common ancestor and some but not all of its descendant lineages. The grouping is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In co ...

. To create monophyletic genera, nine species were moved from ''Bubo'' to ''Ketupa''.

Species

The genus contains 10 extant species: *

Snowy owl The snowy owl (''Bubo scandiacus''), also known as the polar owl, the white owl and the Arctic owl, is a large, white owl of the true owl family. Snowy owls are native to the Arctic regions of both North America and the Palearctic, breeding mo ...

, ''Bubo scandiacus'' *

Great horned owl The great horned owl (''Bubo virginianus''), also known as the tiger owl (originally derived from early naturalists' description as the "winged tiger" or "tiger of the air") or the hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extreme ...

, ''Bubo virginianus'' * Lesser horned owl, ''Bubo magellanicus'' *

, ''Bubo bubo'' * Indian eagle-owl, ''Bubo bengalensis'' *

Pharaoh eagle-owl The Pharaoh eagle-owl (''Bubo ascalaphus'') is a Middle Eastern and North African species of owl in the family Strigidae. Description The Pharaoh eagle-owl has a mottled plumage and large orange-yellow eyes. The head and upperparts are tawny an ...

, ''Bubo ascalaphus'' * Cape eagle-owl, ''Bubo capensis'' * Arabian eagle-owl, ''Bubo milesi'' *

Greyish eagle-owl The greyish eagle-owl or vermiculated eagle-owl (''Bubo cinerascens'') is a rather large owl of the northern part of sub-Saharan Africa. It was previously regarded as the northern subspecies of the spotted eagle-owl (''Bubo africanus''). Descri ...

, ''Bubo cinerascens'' * Spotted eagle-owl, ''Bubo africanus'' Sometimes included in this genus: *

Verreaux's eagle-owl Verreaux's eagle-owl (''Ketupa lactea''), also commonly known as the milky eagle owl or giant eagle owl, is a member of the family Strigidae. This species is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa. A member of the genus '' Ketupa'', it is the largest A ...

, ''Ketupa lactea'' * Spot-bellied eagle-owl, ''Ketupa nipalensis'' * Barred eagle-owl,''Ketupa sumatrana'' * Fraser's eagle-owl,''Ketupa poensis'' * Akun eagle-owl, ''Ketupa leucosticta'' * Philippine eagle-owl, ''Ketupa philippensis'' * Dusky eagle-owl, ''Ketupa coromanda'' * Shelley's eagle-owl, ''Ketupa shelleyi'' * Blakiston's fish owl, ''Ketupa blakistoni'' * Brown fish owl, ''Ketupa zeylonensis'' * Tawny fish owl, ''Ketupa flavipes'' * Buffy fish owl, ''Ketupa ketupu'' *

Pel's fishing owl Pel's fishing owl (''Scotopelia peli'') is a large species of owl in the family Strigidae, found in Africa. It lives near rivers and lakes, and feeds nocturnal animal, nocturnally on fish and frogs snatched from the surface of lakes and rivers. T ...

, ''Scotopelia peli'' *

Rufous fishing owl The rufous fishing owl (''Scotopelia ussheri''), rufous-backed fishing-owl or Ussher's fishing owl, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is endemic to west Africa, where it is a highly localised resident along forest rivers. Taxonomy ...

, ''Scotopelia ussheri'' *

Vermiculated fishing owl The vermiculated fishing owl (''Scotopelia bouvieri'', syn. Bubo bouvieri) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found within riverine forest in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic o ...

, ''Scotopelia bouvieri''

Fossil record

Named and distinct ''Bubo'' species are: * ''Bubo florianae'' (Late Miocene of Csákvár, Hungary, tentatively placed here) * ''Bubo leakeyae'' (Early Pleistocene of Tanzania) * ''Bubo binagadensis'' (Late Pleistocene of Binagady, Azerbaijan) * '' Bubo osvaldoi'' (Pleistocene of Cuba) * ''Bubo insularis'' (Pleistocene of Sardinia) Some notable undescribed

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserve ...

s of prehistoric horned owls, usually quite fragmentary remains, have also been recorded: * ''Bubo'' sp. (Late Pliocene of Senèze, France) * ''Bubo'' sp. (Late Pliocene of Rębielice Królewskie, Poland; tentatively placed here) * ''Bubo'' sp. (Late Pleistocene of San Josecito Cavern, Mexico) Specimen UMMP V31030, a Late Pliocene

coracoid A coracoid is a paired bone which is part of the shoulder assembly in all vertebrates except therian mammals (marsupials and placentals). In therian mammals (including humans), a coracoid process is present as part of the scapula, but this is n ...

from the Rexroad Formation of Kansas (U.S.), cannot be conclusively assigned to either ''Bubo'' or '' Strix''. This fossil is from a

taxon In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...

similar in size to the

great horned owl The great horned owl (''Bubo virginianus''), also known as the tiger owl (originally derived from early naturalists' description as the "winged tiger" or "tiger of the air") or the hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extreme ...

(''B. virginianus'') or the

great grey owl The great grey owl (''Strix nebulosa'') (also great gray owl in American English) is a true owl, and is the world's largest species of owl by length. It is distributed across the Northern Hemisphere, and it is the only species in the genus ''Str ...

(''S. nebulosa''). The Sinclair owl (''Bubo sinclairi'') from Late Pleistocene California may have been a

paleosubspecies A chronospecies is a species derived from a sequential development pattern that involves continual and uniform changes from an extinct ancestral form on an evolutionary scale. The sequence of alterations eventually produces a population that is p ...

of the great horned owl, while the roughly contemporary ''Bubo insularis'' of the central and eastern

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

has been considered a

junior synonym In taxonomy, the scientific classification of living organisms, a synonym is an alternative scientific name for the accepted scientific name of a taxon. The botanical and zoological codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. ...

of a brown fish owl paleosubspecies. Additional paleosubspecies are discussed on the appropriate species page. Several presumed ''Bubo'' fossils have turned out to be from different birds. The Late Eocene/Early Oligocene eared owls ''"Bubo" incertus'' and ''"Bubo" arvernensis'' are now placed in the fossil

barn owl The barn owls, owls in the genus '' Tyto'', are the most widely distributed genus of owls in the world. They are medium-sized owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful talons. The ter ...

genera '' Nocturnavis'' and '' Necrobyas'', respectively. ''"Bubo" leptosteus'' is now recognized as primitive owl in the genus ''

Minerva Minerva (; ; ) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. She is also a goddess of warfare, though with a focus on strategic warfare, rather than the violence of gods such as Mars. Be ...

'' (formerly ''Protostrix''). ''"Bubo" poirreiri'' from the Late Oligocene or Early Miocene of Saint-Gérard-le-Puy in France, is now placed in ''

Mioglaux ''Mioglaux'' is an extinct genus of strigid that lived during the Early Miocene The Early Miocene (also known as Lower Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages: the Aquitanian age, Aquit ...

''. On the other hand, the supposed fossil

heron Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 75 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genus ''Botaurus'' are referred to as bi ...

''"Ardea" lignitum'' from the

Late Pliocene Late or LATE may refer to: Everyday usage * Tardy, or late, not being on time * Late (or the late) may refer to a person who is dead Music * Late (The 77s album), ''Late'' (The 77s album), 2000 * Late (Alvin Batiste album), 1993 * Late!, a pseudo ...

Plaue Plaue is a town in the Ilm-Kreis district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the river Gera, 11 km north of Ilmenau, and 8 km southwest of Arnstadt Arnstadt () is a town in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany, on the river Gera (riv ...

-Rippersroda (Germany) was apparently an owl and close to ''Bubo'' or more probably actually belongs here. Given its age – about 2 million years ago or so – it is usually included in the Eurasian eagle-owl today.

Interactions with humans

Because of their nocturnal habits, most owls do not directly interact with humans. However, in 2015, an eagle owl in

Purmerend Purmerend () is a city and municipality in the west of the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The city is surrounded by polders, such as the Purmer, Beemster and the Wormer. Purmerend's population grew relatively slowly until the 1960s ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, attacked some 50 people before it was caught by a hired falconer.

Footnotes

References

* * * König, Claus; Weick, Friedhelm & Becking, Jan-Hendrik (1999): ''Owls: A guide to the owls of the world.'' Yale University Press, New Haven. * Lambrecht, Kálmán (1933): ''Handbuch der Palaeornithologie'' andbook of Paleornithology Gebrüder Bornträger, Berlin. n German* Mlíkovský, Jiří (2002)
''Cenozoic Birds of the World, Part 1: Europe''
Ninox Press, Prague. * * * Olson, Storrs L. (1985): The fossil record of birds. ''In:'' Farner, D.S.; King, J.R. & Parkes, Kenneth C. (eds.): ''Avian Biology'' 8: 79–238. Academic Press, New York. * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Horned Owl Taxa named by André Marie Constant Duméril