Bare-legged Owl

About the Bare-legged Owl

The bare-legged owl (Margarobyas lawrencii), also called the Cuban bare-legged owl or Cuban screech owl, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae that is endemic to Cuba and Isla de la Juventud. It belongs to the monotypic genus Margarobyas.

The bare-legged owl was described in 1800 and for a time, it was considered the same species as the Puerto Rican owl. However, it was later determined to be its own species by George Newbold Lawrence in 1868. It has variously been placed in the genera "Noctua", Gymnoglaux, and Gymnasio. The American Ornithological Society moved it to the genus Otus in 1998. However, in 2003, they moved the bird back to the genus Gymnoglaux based on physical and vocal differences between the bare-legged owl and typical screech-owls. Finally, in 2008, the genus Margarobyas was proposed, as it was found that Gymnoglaux was a junior synonym of Gymnasio.

Two subspecies have been accepted by some authors in the past, with M. l. exsul, found in western Cuba and the Isla de Juventud, and nominate M. l. lawrencii in the rest of Cuba. M. l. exsul is supposedly differentiated by a darker brown color and more spots, although this subspecies is... Wikipedia →