São Miguel scops owl
| São Miguel scops owl | |
|---|---|
| Extinct | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Strigidae |
| Genus: | Otus |
| Species: | O. frutuosoi |
| Binomial name | |
| Otus frutuosoi Rando, Alcover, Olson & Pieper, 2013[1] | |
The São Miguel scops owl (Otus frutuosoi) is a small extinct owl that once inhabited the island of São Miguel, in the Macaronesian archipelago of the Azores, in the North Atlantic Ocean.[1]
History
The owl was described from subfossil bones. It is the first extinct owl species to be described from the Azores and only the second (the first being the Madeiran scops owl) from Macaronesia. The describers suggest that the most likely cause of extinction was human settlement in the 15th century, with its associated habitat destruction and the introduction of alien species.[1]
Description
Compared with the Eurasian scops owl, the wings were shorter, the legs longer, and the pelvis both broader and shorter. It was also generally smaller than the Madeira Scops Owl. The proportions of its limbs and wing loading indicate that it lived mainly on the ground and had only weak powers of flight.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Rando, Juan Carlos; Alcover, Josep Antoni; Olson, Storrs L.; & Pieper, Harald. (2013). "A new species of extinct scops owl (Aves: Strigiformes: Strigidae: Otus) from São Miguel Island (Azores Archipelago), North Atlantic Ocean" (PDF). Zootaxa 3647 (2): 343–357. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3647.2.6.
