The Puerto Rican owl (Gymnasio nudipes) or múcaro común (Spanish via Taino), formerly known as the Puerto Rican screech owl, is a mid-sized "typical owl" in subfamily Striginae. It is endemic to the archipelago of Puerto Rico though it formerly also inhabited the Virgin Islands.[3][4][5]
The Puerto Rican owl was formally described in 1800 by the French zoologist François Marie Daudin from specimens collected in Puerto Rico. He coined the binomial nameStrix nudipes.[6] The species was subsequently placed either in the genus Otus with the scops owls[7] or in Megascops with the screech owls. It is now the only species assigned to the genus Gymnasio that was introduced in 1854 specifically for the Puerto Rican owl by Charles Lucien Bonaparte.[8][9][10] The genus name combines the Ancient Greekgumnos meaning "bare" or "naked" with the Latinasio, a type of eared owl. The specific epithet nudipes is Latin meaning "bare-footed".[11]
A species endemic to the Virgin Islands was described in 1860 by George Newbold Lawrence under the binomial Gymnoglaux newtoni.[12] This is treated as a subspecies of the Puerto Rican owl (Gymnasio nudipes newtoni), but its identity as a separate subspecies has been questioned because it is based on minor differences in plumage. The taxon is probably extinct as surveys of the Virgin Islands conducted since 1995 have failed to detect any Puerto Rican owls.[13][14][5]
The Puerto Rican owl is 20 to 25 cm (7.9 to 9.8 in) long with a wingspan of 154 to 171 cm (61 to 67 in). It weighs 100 to 170 g (3.5 to 6.0 oz), with females being slightly heavier than males. It has a rounded head with no "ear" tufts. It has three color morphs; the brown one predominates, the rufous one is fairly common, and the gray one is rare. The brown morph has brown upperparts with irregular paler brown bars and vermiculation. The tail is also brown with paler vermiculation. The wing coverts have some whitish spots. Its facial discs have narrow light and dark brown bars; the supercilium and lores are white. The underparts are mostly white with much brown or dusky streaking, barring, and vermiculation. The belly and undertail coverts are usually plain white. The legs are not feathered, which is unusual in owls, and led to another former common name, the Puerto Rican bare-legged owl. The eye is brown, the bill greenish yellow, and the legs and feet pale brown to grayish yellow. The rufous morph replaces the brown with pale reddish brown or ochre buff. Putative subspecies G. n. newtoni has somewhat paler upperparts and less heavily streaked underparts than the nominate.[5][16]
Distribution and habitat
The Puerto Rican owl is found throughout the main island of Puerto Rico. The putative subspecies G. n. newtoni certainly occurred on St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands but has not been positively recorded there since the mid 1800s. It possibly occurred on other Virgin Islands and on Vieques and Culebra, but no documentation supports those assertions. On Puerto Rico its primary natural habitat is humid lowland forest but it also occurs in dry forest and urban areas. "Any small territory with available nest cavities is ideal for this species."[5]
Behavior
Movement
The Puerto Rican owl is resident throughout its range.[5]
Feeding
The Puerto Rican owl is a nocturnal hunter. Its primary prey is large arthropods such as cockroaches, grasshoppers, and moths. It also regularly eats small vertebrates such as frogs, lizards, rodents, and birds.[5]
Breeding
The Puerto Rican owl's breeding season spans from April to June. It nests in cavities in trees and lays a clutch of up to three white eggs. Little else is known about its breeding phenology.[5][16]
Songs and calls
Listen to Puerto Rican owl on xeno-canto
Vocalization
The Puerto Rican owl's territorial song is "a short, relatively deep, somewhat guttural, toad-like quavering trill...rrurrrrrrr." It also makes "a soft cackling gu-gu and "a loud coo-coo"; the latter call provides the local colloquial name "cuckoo bird".[5]
Status
The IUCN has assessed the Puerto Rican owl as being of Least Concern. Though it has a relatively small range, its population exceeds 10,000 mature individuals and is believed to be stable. No specific threats have been identified.[1] Its disappearance from the Virgin Islands is thought to have happened because the native forests there were mostly cleared by the end of the nineteenth century.[5]
^ abcdefghiGoodson, C. (2021). Puerto Rican Owl (Gymnasio nudipes), version 1.1. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.prsowl.01.1 retrieved March 9, 2022
^Daudin, François Marie (1800). Traité élémentaire et complet d'ornithologie, ou, Histoire naturelle des oiseaux (in French). Vol. 2. Paris: Chez L'Auteur. p. 199.
^Peters, James Lee, ed. (1940). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 4. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 107.
^Bonaparte, Charles Lucien (1854). "Tableau des oiseaux de proie". Revue et Magasin de Zoologie Pure et Appliquée. 2nd (in French). 6: 530–544 [543].
^Chesser, R.T.; Billerman, S.M.; Burns, K.J.; Cicero, C.; Dunn, J.L.; Kratter, A.W.; Lovette, I.J.; Mason, N.A.; Rasmussen, P.C.; Remsen, J.V.J.; Stotz, D.F.; Winker, K. (2020). "Sixty-first Supplement to the American Ornithological Society's Check-list of North American Birds". The Auk. 137 (ukaa030). doi:10.1093/auk/ukaa030.
^Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2021). "Owls". IOC World Bird List Version 11.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
^Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 182, 276. ISBN978-1-4081-2501-4.
^Lawrence, George Newbold (1860). "Notes on some Cuban birds, with descriptions of new species". Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York. 7: 247-275 [259].
^Pardieck, Keith; Myers, J; Pagan, Michelle (1996). "Surveys of Puerto Rican screech-owl populations in large-tract and fragmented forest habitats" (PDF). The Wilson Bulletin. 108 (4): 776–782. JSTOR 4163757.
^Moreno, Jorge A. (1998). "Status of the Virgin Islands screech-owl" (PDF). Journal of Field Ornithology. 69 (4): 557–562. JSTOR 4514360.
^Salter, J.F.; Oliveros, C.H.; Hosner, P.A.; Manthey, J.D.; Robbins, M.B.; Moyle, R.G.; Brumfield, R.T.; Faircloth, B.C. (2019). "Extensive paraphyly in the typical owl family (Strigidae)". The Auk. 137 (ukz070). doi:10.1093/auk/ukz070.
^ abDeane Lewis (October 20, 2020). "Puerto Rican Screech Owl ~ Megascops nudipes". Retrieved March 9, 2022.
Further reading
Oberle, Mark (2003). Las aves de Puerto Rico en fotografías (in Spanish). Editorial Humanitas. ISBN0-9650104-2-2.
Wikispecies has information related to Megascops nudipes.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Megascops nudipes.
Dealing with injured or orphaned owls
January 31, 2023
puerto, rican, gymnasio, nudipes, múcaro, común, spanish, taino, formerly, known, puerto, rican, screech, sized, typical, subfamily, striginae, endemic, archipelago, puerto, rico, though, formerly, also, inhabited, virgin, islands, gymnasio, nudipes, over, del. The Puerto Rican owl Gymnasio nudipes or mucaro comun Spanish via Taino formerly known as the Puerto Rican screech owl is a mid sized typical owl in subfamily Striginae It is endemic to the archipelago of Puerto Rico though it formerly also inhabited the Virgin Islands 3 4 5 Puerto Rican owlGymnasio nudipes over a Delonix regia treeGymnasio nudipes newtoniConservation statusLeast Concern IUCN 3 1 1 CITES Appendix II CITES 2 Scientific classificationKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass AvesOrder StrigiformesFamily StrigidaeGenus GymnasioBonaparte 1854Species G nudipesBinomial nameGymnasio nudipes Daudin 1800 SubspeciesG n nudipesG n newtoni Contents 1 Taxonomy and systematics 2 Description 3 Distribution and habitat 4 Behavior 4 1 Movement 4 2 Feeding 4 3 Breeding 4 4 Vocalization 5 Status 6 Gallery 7 See also 8 References 9 Further readingTaxonomy and systematics EditThe Puerto Rican owl was formally described in 1800 by the French zoologist Francois Marie Daudin from specimens collected in Puerto Rico He coined the binomial name Strix nudipes 6 The species was subsequently placed either in the genus Otus with the scops owls 7 or in Megascops with the screech owls It is now the only species assigned to the genus Gymnasio that was introduced in 1854 specifically for the Puerto Rican owl by Charles Lucien Bonaparte 8 9 10 The genus name combines the Ancient Greek gumnos meaning bare or naked with the Latin asio a type of eared owl The specific epithet nudipes is Latin meaning bare footed 11 A species endemic to the Virgin Islands was described in 1860 by George Newbold Lawrence under the binomial Gymnoglaux newtoni 12 This is treated as a subspecies of the Puerto Rican owl Gymnasio nudipes newtoni but its identity as a separate subspecies has been questioned because it is based on minor differences in plumage The taxon is probably extinct as surveys of the Virgin Islands conducted since 1995 have failed to detect any Puerto Rican owls 13 14 5 A molecular phylogenetic study of the owls published in 2019 found that the Puerto Rican owl is a sister species to the flammulated owl Psiloscops flammeolus a migratory species in North America 15 Description EditThe Puerto Rican owl is 20 to 25 cm 7 9 to 9 8 in long with a wingspan of 154 to 171 cm 61 to 67 in It weighs 100 to 170 g 3 5 to 6 0 oz with females being slightly heavier than males It has a rounded head with no ear tufts It has three color morphs the brown one predominates the rufous one is fairly common and the gray one is rare The brown morph has brown upperparts with irregular paler brown bars and vermiculation The tail is also brown with paler vermiculation The wing coverts have some whitish spots Its facial discs have narrow light and dark brown bars the supercilium and lores are white The underparts are mostly white with much brown or dusky streaking barring and vermiculation The belly and undertail coverts are usually plain white The legs are not feathered which is unusual in owls and led to another former common name the Puerto Rican bare legged owl The eye is brown the bill greenish yellow and the legs and feet pale brown to grayish yellow The rufous morph replaces the brown with pale reddish brown or ochre buff Putative subspecies G n newtoni has somewhat paler upperparts and less heavily streaked underparts than the nominate 5 16 Distribution and habitat EditThe Puerto Rican owl is found throughout the main island of Puerto Rico The putative subspecies G n newtoni certainly occurred on St Croix St John and St Thomas in the Virgin Islands but has not been positively recorded there since the mid 1800s It possibly occurred on other Virgin Islands and on Vieques and Culebra but no documentation supports those assertions On Puerto Rico its primary natural habitat is humid lowland forest but it also occurs in dry forest and urban areas Any small territory with available nest cavities is ideal for this species 5 Behavior EditMovement Edit The Puerto Rican owl is resident throughout its range 5 Feeding Edit The Puerto Rican owl is a nocturnal hunter Its primary prey is large arthropods such as cockroaches grasshoppers and moths It also regularly eats small vertebrates such as frogs lizards rodents and birds 5 Breeding Edit The Puerto Rican owl s breeding season spans from April to June It nests in cavities in trees and lays a clutch of up to three white eggs Little else is known about its breeding phenology 5 16 Songs and callsListen to Puerto Rican owl on xeno canto Vocalization Edit The Puerto Rican owl s territorial song is a short relatively deep somewhat guttural toad like quavering trill rrurrrrrrr It also makes a soft cackling gu gu and a loud coo coo the latter call provides the local colloquial name cuckoo bird 5 Status EditThe IUCN has assessed the Puerto Rican owl as being of Least Concern Though it has a relatively small range its population exceeds 10 000 mature individuals and is believed to be stable No specific threats have been identified 1 Its disappearance from the Virgin Islands is thought to have happened because the native forests there were mostly cleared by the end of the nineteenth century 5 Gallery Edit An adult at the western municipality of Aguada An owletSee also Edit Puerto Rico portal Biology portal Birds portalFauna of Puerto Rico List of birds of Puerto Rico List of endemic fauna of Puerto Rico List of birds of Vieques El Toro WildernessReferences Edit a b BirdLife International 2016 Puerto Rican Screech owl Megascops nudipes IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016 Retrieved 9 March 2022 Appendices CITES cites org Retrieved 2022 01 14 Gill F Donsker D Rasmussen P eds January 2022 Owls IOC World Bird List v 12 1 Retrieved January 15 2022 HBW and BirdLife International 2020 Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world Version 5 Available at http datazone birdlife org userfiles file Species Taxonomy HBW BirdLife Checklist v5 Dec20 zip xls zipped 1 MB retrieved 27 May 2021 a b c d e f g h i Goodson C 2021 Puerto Rican Owl Gymnasio nudipes version 1 1 In Birds of the World T S Schulenberg Editor Cornell Lab of Ornithology Ithaca NY USA https doi org 10 2173 bow prsowl 01 1 retrieved March 9 2022 Daudin Francois Marie 1800 Traite elementaire et complet d ornithologie ou Histoire naturelle des oiseaux in French Vol 2 Paris Chez L Auteur p 199 Peters James Lee ed 1940 Check List of Birds of the World Vol 4 Cambridge Massachusetts Harvard University Press p 107 Bonaparte Charles Lucien 1854 Tableau des oiseaux de proie Revue et Magasin de Zoologie Pure et Appliquee 2nd in French 6 530 544 543 Chesser R T Billerman S M Burns K J Cicero C Dunn J L Kratter A W Lovette I J Mason N A Rasmussen P C Remsen J V J Stotz D F Winker K 2020 Sixty first Supplement to the American Ornithological Society s Check list of North American Birds The Auk 137 ukaa030 doi 10 1093 auk ukaa030 Gill Frank Donsker David Rasmussen Pamela eds January 2021 Owls IOC World Bird List Version 11 1 International Ornithologists Union Retrieved 21 May 2021 Jobling James A 2010 The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names London Christopher Helm pp 182 276 ISBN 978 1 4081 2501 4 Lawrence George Newbold 1860 Notes on some Cuban birds with descriptions of new species Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York 7 247 275 259 Pardieck Keith Myers J Pagan Michelle 1996 Surveys of Puerto Rican screech owl populations in large tract and fragmented forest habitats PDF The Wilson Bulletin 108 4 776 782 JSTOR 4163757 Moreno Jorge A 1998 Status of the Virgin Islands screech owl PDF Journal of Field Ornithology 69 4 557 562 JSTOR 4514360 Salter J F Oliveros C H Hosner P A Manthey J D Robbins M B Moyle R G Brumfield R T Faircloth B C 2019 Extensive paraphyly in the typical owl family Strigidae The Auk 137 ukz070 doi 10 1093 auk ukz070 a b Deane Lewis October 20 2020 Puerto Rican Screech Owl Megascops nudipes Retrieved March 9 2022 Further reading EditOberle Mark 2003 Las aves de Puerto Rico en fotografias in Spanish Editorial Humanitas ISBN 0 9650104 2 2 Wikispecies has information related to Megascops nudipes Wikimedia Commons has media related to Megascops nudipes Dealing with injured or orphaned owls Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Puerto Rican owl amp oldid 1118112527, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
