Rufous fishing owl
| Rufous fishing owl | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Strigidae |
| Genus: | Scotopelia |
| Species: | S. ussheri |
| Binomial name | |
| Scotopelia ussheri Sharpe, 1871 | |
The rufous fishing owl (Scotopelia ussheri) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae.
Taxonomy
English naturalist Richard Bowdler Sharpe described the rufous fishing owl in 1871. It is one of three species in the genus Scotopelia.
Description
It measures 46 to 51 cm in length, and has bare legs and feet.[2]
Distribution and habitat
It is found in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Status and conservation
It was formerly classified as "Endangered" by the IUCN. But new research shows that it is not as rare as was once believed. Consequently, it was downlisted to "Vulnerable" on the 2011 Red List Of Threatened Species.[1]
References
- 1 2 BirdLife International (2012). "Scotopelia ussheri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- ↑ Burton, John A. (1992). Owls of the world: their evolution, structure and ecology. Peter Lowe. p. 59.
External links
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