Cinereous owl
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Strix sartorii

The cinereous owl (Strix sartorii ) or Mexican barred owl, is an owl that is endemic to Mexico.

Appearance

Very few specimens of cinereous owl have been measured. The limited number of measurements indicate lengths between 430 and 505 cm (14.11 and 16.57 ft), male weights between 469 and 812 g (1.034 and 1.790 lb), and female weights between 610 and 1,051 g (1.345 and 2.317 lb) This large round-headed owl's upperparts are brownish gray with whitish to buff bars. It has grayish white to browish gray facial disks surrounded by darker brown and buffy bars. Its underparts are pale buff to white with dark streaks.

Distribution

Geography

The cinerous owl appears to occur in three disjunct areas. The largest is along the Sierra Madre Oriental between San Luis Potosi in the north and Veracruz in the south. The next largest is a band from Durango south to Michoacán and the third is a relatively small area in Guerrero. It is believed to formerly have occurred in Oaxaca.

Diet and Nutrition

Little is known about the cinereous owl's foraging strategy or diet, but both are assumed to be similar to that of the barred owl. That species is semi-nocturnal to nocturnal and is an opportunistic predator on small mammals and lagomorphs, small birds, reptiles, and invertebrates.

Mating Habits

The only information about the cinereous owl's breeding phenology comes from the observation of a fledgling of unknown age in Nayarit in early June. It had well-developed flight feathers but downy body plumage.

Population

Population number

The IUCN has not assessed the status of the cinereous owl, and "every aspect of the biology of Cinereous Owl is in dire need of more research."

References

1. Cinereous owl Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinereous_owl
2. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/499461

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