From Opus

Photo by Akiyo
Kagoshima, Japan, July 2004

Ninox japonica

[edit] Identification

27 - 33cm. A medium sized owl which resembles a hawk with its long tail and wings. Face dark with a small white patch between the yellow eyes. Plumage dark brown, barred tail, buffish-white to uniform dark belly, according to subspecies. Sexes similar, but male smaller than female.
Told from other Ninox Owls by lack of white spots on back and dark head.

[edit] Distribution

Found in south-eastern Siberia, northern and eastern China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan.
Winters to southern Asia.

[edit] Taxonomy

Was formerly considerd conspecific with Brown Hawk-Owl.

[edit] Subspecies^[1]

Two subspecies recognized:

• N j. japonica: south-eastern Siberia to south-eastern Manchuria, eastern China, Korea and Japan; winters southern Asia
• N.j. totogo: Ryukyu Islands and Taiwan
  

[edit] Habitat

Forest. Wide variety of different forest types troughout range (e.g. rainforest, deciduous, evergreen, coniferous forest, even plantations, parks and suburbs.

[edit] Behavior

Nocturnal. Roosts by day singly or in pairs in thick canopy.

[edit] Diet

Feeds mainly on insects (dragonflies, moths), catched in the air. Takes also crabs, lizards, amphibians, small birds, small mammals (including bats). Hunts in clearings, forest egdes or cultivated area.

[edit] Breeding

Nests in a tree hole. Lays 2 - 5 eggs.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2010. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2010. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/Clements%206.5.xls/view

• List of references

[edit] External Links