The Makira owl (''Athene roseoaxillaris''), also known as the Makira boobook, is a small to medium-sized species of owl in the

Family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Strigidae The true owls or typical owls (family (biology), family Strigidae) are one of the two generally accepted families of owls, the other being the barn owls and bay owls (Tytonidae). This large family comprises 230 living or recently extinct species ...

. It is endemic to

Makira The island of Makira (previously known as San Cristóbal) is the largest island of Makira-Ulawa Province in Solomon Islands. It is third most populous of the Solomon Islands after Malaita and Guadalcanal, with a population of 55,126 as of 2020 ...

. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the Solomons boobook. The Makira boobook prefers habitats of

Subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...

and

Tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

Moist Lowland. It is possibly

extant Extant or Least-concern species, least concern is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to: * Extant hereditary titles * Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English * Exta ...

Ugi Island Ugi Island, also Uki Island or Uki Ni Massi, is an island 11 km north of the island of Makira, Makira-Ulawa Province in Solomon Islands, Pacific Ocean. Geography Ugi Island is a raised coral reef about 10.5 km long and 6.5 km wide ...

and

Owariki Owariki or Owa rigi (formerly Santa Catalina) is an island in Makira-Ulawa Province, Solomon Islands. Description This small coral island is 2.8 km long and 2 km wide. It is located off the eastern end of Makira (San Cristobal) Island, ...

Distribution and Habitat

Mostly located on Makira Island, the Makira owl is

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

to the Solomon Islands. It lives in thick tropical rainforests, preferably in places where there is a lot of canopy cover. This species is frequently found close to water sources and has been seen in both main and secondary forests. It can hunt and hide from possible enemies successfully since it prefers deep vegetation.

Diet and Feeding

Makira owls consume small animals such as insects and birds. The way it can locate food is with night vision and keen hearing, generally hunting from a perch right before it stealthily dives down. This owl uses little to no movement to hunt and catch prey because of its keen sense of sight and stealth.

Physical Appearance

The Makira owl's

mottled Mottle is a pattern of irregular marks, spots, streaks, blotches or patches of different shades or colours. It is commonly used to describe the surface of plants or the skin of animals. In plants, mottling usually consists of yellowish spots on p ...

brown plumage, bright yellow eyes, and rounded head all help it blend in well with the woodland environment, especially with its rose-colored underwing coverts. It is easily distinguished from other owl species in the area by its size and unique markings.

Behavior/Movement

Makira owls spend most of their lives in the deep

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...

, where they rest throughout the day. Although it has a reputation for being silent, it occasionally lets out a few gentle hoots at night, especially when it's mating. The Makira owl is

sedentary Sedentary lifestyle is a lifestyle type, in which one is physically inactive and does little or no physical movement and/or exercise. A person living a sedentary lifestyle is often sitting or lying down while engaged in an activity like soc ...

, with little evidence of it leaving its known range, in contrast to many other owl species. Because of habitat loss and fragmentation, it is classified as "Near Threatened" according to the most recent assessments. Although pairs may be spotted together during the mating season, the species is usually solitar

Feeding

The Makira owl is a predator that mostly eats insects, small birds, and small animals. It finds prey in the thick jungle by using its keen hearing and superb night vision. Owls usually hunt by silently perching on a branch, watching for their prey to move below, then swooping down to try to catch it. Stealth and a sense of surprise are crucial components of its hunting strateg

Conservation Status

The international union for Conservation of Nature has classed the Makira owl as near threatened mostly because of habitat loss. Species is seriously threatened by Makira Island deforestation for agricultural growth and timber extraction. Owls range restricted to a single island, making it susceptible to environmental stresses such as habitat degradation. Reducing the effects of human activity and protecting Makira's remaining primary forests are the key goals for humans to conserve the Makira ow

References

Athene (bird), Makira owl Endemic birds of the Solomon Islands Owls of Oceania Least concern biota of Oceania Makira owl Taxa named by Ernst Hartert {{Strigiformes-stub