Black-White Owl

About the Black-White Owl

The black-and-white owl (Strix nigrolineata) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. The black-and-white owl is a medium-sized owl with a round head and no ear tufts. It is between 35 and 40 cm in length and weigh between 400 and 535 grams. As for most owl species, females are usually bigger than males with an average weight of 487 g and 418 g respectively. It has a striped black-and-white breast, belly, and vent. With the exception of a black-and white striped collar, the upperparts from the crown to the tail are a sooty black. The facial disc is mostly sooty black, with white "eyebrows" that extend from the bill to the collar. The beak is a yellow-orange colour, and the eyes are a reddish brown.

Chicks are downy and white. Juveniles have a whitish face, dark brown upper-parts and a white-barred black underside. Formerly under the genus Ciccaba which includes many neotropical species, the black-and-white owl is now classified under the genus Strix known as the "wood owls", which all share the same round head and pitch black eyes. This raptor was first reported in 1859 by Sclater. Its sister species, the black-banded owl (Strix hulula), while being... Wikipedia →