Omani Owl Strix omanensis is probably most closely related to Hume’s Owl Strix butleri. Both species share a number of morphological features which differ from other Strix species, including relatively long legs and short tail, bands on wings and tail, orangey eyes and pale underparts. Both species also occupy rather similar rocky desert habitat although, so far, Omani has only been found on high cliffs, not in shallow wadis. In this context, it is worthwhile to mention that there are no records of Hume’s in northern Oman or the United Arab Emirates (Jennings 2010, Porter & Aspinall 2010).
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Magnus Robb, Arnoud B van den Berg and Mark Constantine. 2013. A New Species of Strix Owl from Oman. Dutch Birding. 35 (5): 275–310. | dutchbirding.nl
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| Holotype of Omani Owl [Omaanse Uil] Strix omanensis Al Jabal Al Akhdar, Al Hajar mountains, Al Batinah, Oman, 24 May 2013
photo: Arnoud B van den Berg / The Sound Approach
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| Holotype of Omani Owl [Omaanse Uil] Strix omanensis photo: Arnoud B van den Berg / The Sound Approach |
Magnus Robb, Arnoud B van den Berg and Mark Constantine. 2013. A New Species of Strix Owl from Oman. Dutch Birding. 35 (5): 275–310.
Heads turn at new owl species discovered in Oman
A new owl species has been discovered in the remote Jebel Akdhar mountains in Oman, ornithologists working in the Gulf state reported this week.
The Scottish wildlife sound-recordist, Magnus Robb, wrote Strix omanensis officially exists from Oct. 4 on the website of “The Sound Approach,” an international project aiming to record and understand bird sounds.
“Shaped like a strix owl, it [the new species] lacked ear-tufts and appeared slightly smaller-headed than a tawny owl,” Robb described the exotic owl on the project’s website.
Robb first recorded the bird’s unfamiliar hoot during an unexpected discovery in March this year.
cont. http://ara.tv/zykxx via @AlArabiya_Eng
Nieuws: Een nieuwe soort Strix-uil in Oman / A new species of Strix owl from Oman: http://www.dutchbirding.nl/news.php?id=866 via @DutchBirding
