New Caledonian barn owl
| New Caledonian barn owl | |
|---|---|
| Subfossil | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Tytonidae |
| Genus: | Tyto |
| Species: | T. letocarti |
| Binomial name | |
| Tyto letocarti Balouet & Olson, 1989 | |
The New Caledonian barn owl (Tyto letocarti), also referred to as Letocart's barn owl, is an extinct species of owl in the barn owl family. It was endemic to the island of New Caledonia in Melanesia in the south-west Pacific region. It was described from subfossil bones found at the Gilles Cave paleontological site on the west coast of Grande Terre. The holotype is a complete adult left femur (NCG 1000), held by the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris. The owl was described as Tyto? letocarti, indicating uncertainty as to generic placement at the time. The specific epithet honours Yves Letocart, of New Caledonia’s Water and Forest Service, who was active in bird conservation and paleontological work on the island.[1]
References
- ↑ Balouet, J.C.; Olson, Storrs L. (1989). "Fossil birds from Late Quaternary deposits in New Caledonia" (PDF). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 469: 18–19. doi:10.5479/si.00810282.469.
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