Black-Banded Owl : Everything You Need To Know

The black-banded bird (Strix huhula) is a species of owl that belongs to the family of Strigidae. It is nocturnal and a mid-sized Black and White neotropical bird can be described as a resident speciesand consequently, it does not leave its home region of South America. The habitats it is found in are diverse and tropical subtropical forests that range from lowlands to regions that are medium-altitude. it is found within Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.

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Description :

The black-banded Owl is medium-sized (30-36 cm) with a black-colored body and densely striated by white, horizontal, wavy bars. A black mask covers the eyes. Its head is round without ear tufts with a yellow-orange bill as well as feet. The tail is smooty brown and is adorned with the tail containing 4 to 5 thin white bars, and an elongated white band. The primary feathers are darker than the rest of the plumage. The black bristles and feathers can be present around the bill as well as across the leg from the bottom of the toes.

Habitat :

Black-banded owls can be located below 500m, though there are some rare observations of them reaching 1,400m. They live in various kinds of forests across the South American landscape, mainly subtropical and tropical forests. The forests of Ecuador they were mostly found in the humid forest in the North-East. They were also seen throughout forests in the Atlantic, igapo, and Terra-firme forests in Brazil, Araucaria forests, as well as man-made or disturbed habitats like clearings or agricultural land, as well as suburban areas.

Distribution :

The black-banded owl can be difficult to spot and is among the least-known Strigidae within South-America. The size of their population has not been determined, but the species is described as common bird, though it’s distribution is uneven. A few sightings have been reported However, their range is probably from the southern part of Colombia up to the south-eastern part of Argentina as well as Brazil.

The difficulty of identifying the black-banded owl can be illustrated by the fact S. H. albomarginata was only seen a few instances in recent years within the Atlantic forest of Brasil and Paraguay and just twice up to 2012 within the Ecuadorian Podocarpus National Park. Seven times in the area in Minas Gerais, Brazil, an owl with black bands was seen only one time, 170 years after the first time it was recorded. Similar to the situation the only reports from historical sources without support were available in Paraguay prior to 1995. The species was also discovered to be the most scarce of large owls found in the Misiones province in Argentina.

Vocalization :

The male’s song black-banded owl is an elongated phrase that changes hoots. The standard rhythm consists of three to four deep guttural notes followed by the pause, which is approximately 0.6 seconds, before end with a couple of louder or shorter hoots. The wobobo whuo, or wobobo whuo song grows gradually in both volume and pitch. Females sing a slightly higher pitched rendition of the.

A variety of new vocalizations can be being heard in the nesting phase which includes two kinds of screeches as well as new calls. In at the nest, males were recorded as calling their mate with six or seven descended notes, with females responding by making the same call, or using 12-,-, or 3-notes. This call was heard only in nesting situations, but the 1-, 2-,or 3 note call was also heard in other situations.

What is their method of communication?

A black-banded owl (Strix huhula) or Carabo negro in Spanish communicates with one with a series of vocalizations. The song that is sung by male owls of this species is comprised of an array of changing hooting sounds. These white and black feathered birds produce the guttural sound and then an pause that about half an second. The rhythm is preceded by small , long hoots. During the nesting time the black-banded owl communicates using a variety of screeching noises.

Diet of Black Banded Owl :

The information available is limited on the habits of food consumption of this species, however bats have been observed within the stomachs and intestines of adults, and they’ve been seen feeding moths and eating their nestlings.

The black-and-white owlis the closest relative to the black-banded owl has been seen to capture large insects, including beetles (mostly scarabaeids, curculionids and cerambycid) as well as grasshoppers (Acrididae) as well as Cockroaches (Blattidae). For vertebrate prey they ate bats (primarily Artibeus jamaicens) and Mottled Owls, a different Ciccaba species, consumed mainly smaller rodents.

Reproduction

It is not known much regarding the reproduction of black-banded Owls. The first mention of nesting was published in 2013. It stated that during the period of incubation from September through November the egg was incubated for the entire day and even into the night, but was left for brief periods that lasted between 5 and 10 minutes.

Similar behavior was observed for a minimum of three weeks after the hatching. It is believed that the female was responsible for all incubation and brooding as is the case with all species of owls that have been studied. Both parents actively guarded their nests which is why the breeding couple likely secluded other species of owl from their area of residence.

Like other Ciccaba as well as Strix owls The black-banded owl also has the size of a single nestling. The nest was located among forked branches, but not in an open cavity. The black-banded owls may make use of the same tree fork to build their nests in subsequent years, but they will not breed in a succession.

What is their conservation status?

The owl with black bands (Strix huhula) has been designated as Low Concern on the IUCN Red List. It has been noted that the black-banded owls is declining rapidly because of deforestation , logging and deforestation. There has been a 30 percent decrease in its population in the past three generations. If the decrease in its population is sustained at greater than a 10-percent rate the species could be vulnerable in the near future.

The species is not threatened. It is in the same population throughout South America and is considered as being of least concern according to the IUCN Red List.