Rufous Banded Owl

About the Rufous Banded Owl

The rufous-banded owl (Strix albitarsis) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) places the rufous-banded owl in genus Strix and divides it into three subspecies, the nominate S. a. albitarsis, S. a. opaca, and S. a. tertia. However, the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (SACC/AOS), the Clements taxonomy, and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) assign it to genus Ciccaba. Even more confusingly, HBW agrees with the assignment of three subspecies but Clements considers the species to be monotypic.

The rufous-banded owl is 30 to 35 cm (12 to 14 in) long; two specimens weighed 265 and 350 g (9.3 and 12.3 oz). It has a round head and no ear tufts. Adults have a rufous facial disk that is blacker around the orange eyes, white "brows", and white lores. The rest of the head and the upperparts are blackish brown with buffy rufous bars and spots. The tail is also blackish brown, with lighter bars. The chest is dark brown with whitish and tawny bars and spots... Wikipedia →