Kingdom Animalia Family Strigidae Phylum Chordata Higher classification Strigini | Order Strigiformes Scientific name Strix Length Tawny owl: 38 cm Rank Genus | |
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Mass Tawny owl: 470 g, Ural owl: 780 g Lower classifications Tawny owl, Great grey owl, Ural owl, Barred Owl, Brown wood owl | ||
Strix is a genus of owls. They belong to the typical owl family (Strigidae), one of the two generally accepted living families of owls, with the other being the barn-owls (Tytonidae). Common names are earless owls or wood owls though they are not the only owls without ear tufts, and "wood owl" is also used as a more generic name for forest-living owls. Neotropical birds in the genus Ciccaba are sometimes included in Strix.
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These are medium-sized to largish, robustly-built and powerful owls. They do not have ear tufts and most are highly nocturnal woodland birds. Most live on small mammals, birds and reptiles.
Most owls in the Strix Genus vocalise through hooting and lack visible ears - this is how they are distinguished from other genera of owls.
The Latin genus name Strix referred to a type of owl believed to suck the blood of infants. Although the genus Strix was established for the earless owls by Linnaeus in 1758, until the late 19th century many authors applied it to other owls – namely the Tyto barn-owls – in error.
Species in taxonomic order
Fossil species
The genus Strix is well represented in the fossil record. Being a fairly generic type of strigid owl, they were probably the first truly modern Strigidae to evolve. However, it is not certain whether several of the species usually placed in this genus indeed belong here.
Generally accepted in Strix are:
"Strix" wintershofensis (Early/Middle Miocene of Wintershof West, Germany) and "Strix" edwardsi (Middle Miocene of Grive-Saint-Alban, France), while being strigid owls, have not at present been reliably identified to genus; they might also belong into the European Ninox-like group.
"Strix" ignota (Middle Miocene of Sansan, France) is sometimes erroneously considered a nomen nudum but this assumption is based on what appears to be a lapsus or misprint in a 1912 source. It may well belong into the present genus, but this requires confirmation.
"Strix" perpasta (Late Miocene – Early Pliocene of Gargano Peninsula, Italy) does not appear to belong into this genus either. It is sometimes considered a junior synonym of a brown fish-owl paleosubspecies.
UMMP V31030, a coracoid from Late Pliocene Rexroad Formation deposits of Kansas (USA), cannot be conclusively assigned to either the present genus or Bubo.
Extinct forms formerly in Strix: