Class Aves Family Tytonidae | Phylum Chordata Order Strigiformes Genus Tyto Rank Species | |
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Similar Tyto, Tyto robusta, Deinogalerix, Tyto pollens, Tyto balearica |
Tyto gigantea is an extinct barn owl from what is now Gargano, Italy, dating back to the late Miocene. From its remains, T. gigantea is suggested to have been as large as or larger than the Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo).
It lived sympatrically with its relative, Tyto robusta, and may have preyed on the giant, cat-sized erinaceomorph, Deinogalerix.
References
Tyto gigantea Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA