Camiguin hawk-owl

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Camiguin hawk-owl
Camiguin Hawk-owl.jpg
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Strigiformes
Family: Strigidae
Genus: Ninox
Species:
N. leventisi
Binomial name
Ninox leventisi
Rasmussen et al., 2012

The Camiguin hawk-owl or Camiguin boobook (Ninox leventisi) is an owl species resident to the Camiguin island in the Philippines. It is the only owl in the country with greenish-yellow or grayish eyes. It was previously known as a subspecies of the Philippine hawk-owl, but was reclassified in 2012, as voice and other evidence suggested it a distinct species.[3] Its native name is kugkug

Description[]

EBird describes the bird as "A rare medium-sized owl of remnant broadleaf forest on Camiguin Island. Uniformly barred, with a brown head and upperparts, a pale bar behind the shoulder, warmer brown underparts, long whiskers around the face, and pale yellow eyes. Note the white throat patch. Song is a rapid series of fairly low “woop” notes, sometimes given in duet. White throat particularly noticeable when calling."[4]

Among the species complex, this owl is unique in that its eyes are striking greenish-yellow versus the standard yellow or reddish-brown eyes of the rest of its related species.

It and along with the Romblon hawk-owl and Cebu hawk-owls are the largest in the Philippine hawk-owl species complex reaching sizes of 25cm tall versus the much smaller Luzon hawk-owl, Mindanao hawk-owl, Mindoro hawk-owl and Sulu hawk-owl which sizes range from 15-20cm tall. [5]

Habitat and conservation status[]

Its habitat is in tropical moist lowland primary and secondary forests up to 700 meters above sea level. It is also occasionally seen on forest edge, clearings and plantations. .[5]

The IUCN Red List classifies this bird as an endangered species with population estimates of 250 to 999 mature individuals. This species' main threat is habitat loss with wholesale clearance of forest habitats as a result of legal and illegal logging, mining and conversion into farmlands through Slash-and-burn and urbanization mostly due to an influx of tourists which have forced these birds to the uplands.

There are no species specific conservation programs going on at the moment but conservation actions proposed include more species surveys to better understand habitat and population. initiate education and awareness campaigns to raise the species's profile and instill pride in locals. Lobby for protection of remaining forest.

References[]

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Ninox leventisi". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2016: e.T22725512A94894527. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22725512A94894527.en. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. ^ New Owl Species: Camiguin Hawk-Owl, Cebu Hawk-Owl Discovered In Philippines
  4. ^ "Camiguin Hawk-owl". Ebird. Archived from the original on 2020-03-30.
  5. ^ a b Allen, Desmond (2020). Birds of the Philippines. Barcelona: Lynx and Birdlife International Guides. pp. 172–177.
Retrieved from ""