Black-banded owl facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Black-banded owl |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Strix
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| Species: |
huhula
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| Synonyms | |
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Ciccaba huhula |
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The black-banded owl (Strix huhula) is a cool type of owl that lives in the forests of South America. It's a medium-sized bird with black and white stripes. This owl is a night owl, meaning it's active only when it's dark outside! It doesn't fly to other countries; it stays in its home in places like Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia. You can find it in different kinds of tropical forests, from lowlands to medium-high areas.
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What Does the Black-Banded Owl Look Like?
This owl is about 30 to 36 centimeters tall, which is roughly the size of a ruler. It's mostly blackish all over, with lots of wavy white stripes across its body. It has a black mask around its eyes, making them stand out.
Its head is round, and it doesn't have any ear tufts (those feather tufts that some owls have). Its beak and feet are a bright yellow-orange color. The tail is dark brown with 4 to 5 thin white stripes and a white tip. The feathers used for flying are darker than the rest of its body. It also has black bristles and feathers around its beak and down its legs to its toes.
Where Do Black-Banded Owls Live?
Owl Homes in the Forest
Black-banded owls usually live in forests below 500 meters (about 1,640 feet) in height. Sometimes, they are found higher, up to 1,400 meters (about 4,600 feet). They like many types of forests in South America, especially tropical and subtropical ones.
In Ecuador, they are mostly seen in humid forests. In Brazil, they live in different forest types, including those that flood and those on higher ground. They can even be found near human areas like clearings, farms, and suburbs.
Finding Black-Banded Owls
It's quite hard to spot a black-banded owl. They are one of the least known owls in South America. We don't know exactly how many there are, but they are thought to be fairly common, even if they are spread out. Their home range likely stretches from southern Colombia all the way to southeastern Argentina and Brazil.
It's so hard to find them that one type of black-banded owl was only seen a few times in recent years in Brazil and Paraguay. In one part of Brazil, a black-banded owl was seen for the second time in 170 years! This shows how good they are at hiding.
How Do Black-Banded Owls Behave?
What Do Their Calls Sound Like?
The male black-banded owl's song is a series of changing hoots. It usually starts with 3-4 deep, rumbling notes. Then there's a short pause, about half a second long. It finishes with one or two louder, shorter hoots. This song sounds like "wobobo whúo" or "wobobo whúo hú" and gets louder as it goes. The female owl sings a similar song, but her voice is a bit higher.
When they are nesting, they make many new sounds. These include two types of screeches and other calls. Near the nest, males might call to their mate with six or seven notes that go down in pitch. Females answer with the same call or with 1, 2, or 3 notes.
What Do Black-Banded Owls Eat?
We don't know a lot about what black-banded owls eat. But we do know that they eat bats. They have also been seen eating moths and feeding them to their baby owls.
Their close relative, the black-and-white owl, eats large insects like beetles, grasshoppers, and cockroaches. They also hunt bats. Other owls in the same group mostly eat small rodents.
How Do Black-Banded Owls Raise Their Young?
Not much is known about how black-banded owls reproduce. The first time someone described their nesting was in 2013. During the time the egg was incubating (from September to November), the parent owl sat on the egg almost all day and night. They only left it alone for short times, about 5-10 minutes.
The same behavior was seen for at least three weeks after the egg hatched. It's believed that the female owl does all the incubating and brooding (keeping the young warm), just like other owl species. Both parents work hard to protect their nest. They likely keep other owl species away from their nesting area.
Like other owls in their group, black-banded owls usually have only one baby owl at a time. Their nest is built in the fork of tree branches, not in a hole in a tree. Black-banded owls can use the same tree fork for their nest in different years, but they might not breed every year.
