The Itombwe owl (''Tyto prigoginei'') is a species of

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 ...

in the barn owl family,

Tytonidae The bird family Tytonidae, which includes the barn owls ''Tyto'' and the bay owls ''Phodilus'', is one of the two Family (biology), families of owls, the other being the true owls or typical owls, True owl, Strigidae. They are medium to large owl ...

. It is restricted to a small area in the

Albertine Rift montane forests The Albertine Rift montane forests ( French: ''Forêts montagnardes du Rift Albertin'') is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in east-central Africa. The ecoregion covers the mountains of the northern Albertine Rift, and is home to dis ...

of east-central Africa.

Taxonomy and systematics

The Itombwe owl was first described by the Belgium naturalist

Henri Schouteden Henri Schouteden (9 July 1881 in Brussels – 15 November 1972 in Brussels) was a Belgian zoologist, ornithologist and entomologist who undertook numerous expeditions into the Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi. Works (All in French) *Schouteden, H. (191 ...

in 1952 and given the

binomial name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, altho ...

''Phodilus prigoginei'', being placed in the genus ''

Phodilus The bay owls (''Phodilus'') are a genus of Old World owls in the family Tytonidae. The defining characteristics of bay owls are their smaller bodies, in comparison to the barn owls ''Tyto'' in the same family, and their U- or V-shaped faces. The ...

'' along with the two Asian bay owls, being referred to as the Congo bay owl or African bay owl. The specific epithet was chosen in honour of the Russian-born mineralogist and ornithologist

Alexandre Prigogine Alexandre Romanovich Prigogine (12 April 1913, Moscow - 7 May 1991, Brussels) was a Belgian mineralogist and ornithologist of Russian-Jewish origin. Born into a Jewish family in Moscow, his father Roman (Ruvim Abramovich) Prigogine was a chemica ...

who had first brought the owl to Schouteden's attention. The owl is not well known and has been treated as a race of the

Oriental bay owl The Oriental bay owl (''Phodilus badius'') is a species of bay owl. It is completely nocturnal, and can be found throughout Southeast Asia and parts of India. It has several subspecies. It has a heart-shaped face with earlike extensions. The Cong ...

, but this is now considered unlikely, and, in fact, the two species do not appear to be closely related. Even so, its inclusion in ''Phodilus'' is rather dubious, and genetic research is required. It is possible that this species may instead be placed in the genus ''Tyto'' or even a separate

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

genus. In 2023, this species was classified into ''Tyto'' by the

International Ornithological Congress International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

on the basis of morphological similarities.

Description

The Itombwe owl is a small owl with chestnut brown on the upper-parts, black and white spots on the crown and nape, and reddish cream underparts. The only specimens known have been adult females, males and juveniles are therefore unknown. It is smaller than typical barn owls and has a more U-shaped facial disk; its earlike feather tufts are hardly visible. Similar to the Oriental bay owl in plumage colour and pattern, its facial disc is heart-shaped like that of the

western barn owl The western barn owl (''Tyto alba'') is a species of Tyto, barn owl ''Tyto'' native to Europe, southwestern Asia, and Africa. It was formerly considered a subspecies group together with barn owls native to other parts of the world, but this clas ...

, and either resemblance may be due to convergence.

Distribution and habitat

The

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular wikt:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally associated. In other words, a type is an example that serves to ancho ...

was collected at Muusi, at an altitude of 2,430m, in the

Itombwe Mountains The Itombwe Mountains (or Itombwe Massif, Plateau) are a range of mountains in the South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). They run along the west shore of the northern part of Lake Tanganyika. They contain a vast area ...

in the eastern

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

in 1951. It was then unconfirmed until a second individual was captured in a mist net in 1996 in the south east corner of the

, some 95 km south of, and 600m, lower than the collection site of the type specimen. In addition there was the recording in Rwanda mentioned above and a possible sighting in

Burundi Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is located in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa, with a population of over 14 million peop ...

in 1974. Both of the specimens captured were taken in similar habitat of montane forest interspersed with areas of grassland and stands of

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

Conservation

The biology of the Itombwe owl is almost completely unknown as is its population size or even its complete geographic range. Conservation efforts cannot start without this research. It is threatened by the clearing of its habitat for small scale agriculture as well as by logging, mining, wildfires and forest clearance. The Itombwe Forest has recently been proposed as a community reserve, but its boundaries still require defining. The

Itombwe Nature Reserve The Itombwe Nature Reserve is a protected area in the Itombwe Mountains of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The reserve covers . It is part of a Lion Conservation Unit. The reserve is home to the critically endangered eastern lowland ...

was established, but enforcement has been lacking, as the expected development in infrastructure, tourism, and jobs did not materialize. Nonetheless, the forest remains relatively intact.

References

External links

BirdLife Species Factsheet
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1273539

Congo bay owl The Itombwe owl (''Tyto prigoginei'') is a species of owl in the barn owl family, Tytonidae. It is restricted to a small area in the Albertine Rift montane forests of east-central Africa. Taxonomy and systematics The Itombwe owl was first descr ...

Endemic birds of the Albertine Rift montane forests