Evolution of European owls (1 Viewer)

Jenő (Eugen) Kessler, 2017

Evolution and skeletal characteristics of European owls

Ornis Hungarica 2017. 25(2): 65–103.
DOI: 10.1515/orhu-2017-0016

Anstract:

Owls represent typical nocturnal avian predators. They are known since the beginning of the Tertiary. Thirteen species live in Europe, but the number of extinct fossil species is only slightly above twice that number. The present genera appeared in the Neogene period. They also have a major significance regarding palaeoecology, since most of the fossilized remains of small-medium sized vertebrates are available from owl pellets.
The author wishes to describe the occurrence and evolution of owls in Europe from the Cretaceous to current times, as well as to provide an osteological guide of recent species.
The text is supplemented by 16 plates, 4 size charts, and extensive bibliography

Free pdf

https://www.researchgate.net/public...and_skeletal_characteristics_of_European_owls

Enjoy,

Fred

The European Fossil Record of Strigiformes: STIGIDA

Unfortunately Kessler does not discuss the complete European fossil record of owls, so I tried to make a list (--- is: No European fossil record):

TYTONIDA
Tytonidae Mathews, 1912
Necrobyinae Mourer-Chauviré, 1987
Necrobyas harpax Milne-Edwards, 1892 Eocene or Oligocene of France
Necrobyas rossignoli Milne-Edwards, 1892 Eocene or Oligocene of France
Necrobyas arvernensis (Milne Edwards, 1863) Eocene or Oligocene of France
Necrobyas edwardsi Gaillard, 1939 Eocene or Oligocene of France
Nocturnavis incerta (Milne-Edwards, 1892) Eocene or Oligocene of France

Selenornithinae Mourer-Chauviré, 1987
Selenornis henrici (Milne-Edwards, 1892) Eocene or Oligocene of France
Selenornis steendorpensis G. Mayr, 2009 Early Oligocenee of Belgium

Phodilinae Beddard, 1898

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Tytoninae Mathews, 1912
Prosybris media (Mourer-Chauviré, 1987) Eocene or Oligocene of France
Prosybris antiqua (Milne-Edwards, 1871) Oligocene-Miocene of France
Miotyto montispetrosi Göhlich et Ballmann, 2013 Middle Miocene of Germany
Tyto sanctialbani (Lydekker, 1893) Middle Miocene of France, Late Miocene of Austria
Tyto campiterrae Jánossy, 1991 Late Miocene of Hungary
Tyto balearica Mourer-Chauviré, Alcover, Moyà et Pons, 1980 Late Miocene-Pliocene of Spain
Tyto robusta Ballmann, 1973 Early Pliocene of Italy
Tyto gigantea Ballmann, 1973 Early Pliocene of Italy
Tyto mourerchauvireae Pavia, 2004 Early-Middle Pleistocene of Sicily
Tyto cyrneichnusae Louchart, 2002 Late Pleistocene of Corsica, Sardinia

The European Fossil Record of Strigiformes: STRIGIDA Palaeoglaucidae - Ogygoptyngidae

STRIGIDA
Palaeoglaucidae (Mourer-Chauviré, 1987)
Palaeoglaux artophoron Peters, 1992 Early Eocene of Germany
Palaeoglaux perrierensis Mourer-Chauviré, 1987 Late Eocene of France

Sophiornithidae Mourer-Chauviré, 1987
Berruornis halbedeli G. Mayr, 2007 Paleocene of Germany
Berruornis orbisantiqui Mourer-Chauviré, 1994 Late Paleocene of France
Palaeobyas cracrafti Mourer-Chauviré, 1987 Eocene or Oligocene of France
Sophiornis quercynus Mourer-Chauviré, 1987 Eocene or Oligocene of France
Palaeotyto cadurcensis Mourer-Chauviré, 1987 Eocene or Oligocene of France

Protostrigidae Wetmore, 1933
Eostrix vincenti Harrison, 1980 Early Eocene of England
Oligostrix rupelensis Fischer, 1983 Middle Oligocene of Germany
?Oligostrix bergeri De Pietri, Mourer-Chauviré, Menkveld-Gfeller, Meyer et Costeur, 2013 Late Oligocene of Swiss Confederation

Heterostrigidae Kurochkin et Dyke, 2011
Aurorornis taurica Panteleyev, 2011 Middle Eocene of Ukraine

Ogygoptyngidae Rich et Bohaska, 1981

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The European Fossil Record of Strigiformes: STRIGIDA Strigidae Ninoxinae-Surniinae

(= Europe? is the Atlantic Europe?)

Strigidae Leach, 1820
Ninoxinae Marks, Cannings et Mikkola, 1999

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Surniinae Bonaparte,1838
Aegolius martae Pavia, 2007 Early Middle Pleistocene of Italy
Athene vallgornerensis Guerra, Bover et Alcover, 2011 Earlt Pleistocene of Spain, Mallorca
Athene angelis Mourer-Chauviré, Salotti, Pereira, Quinif, Courtois, Dubois et La Milza, 1997 Middle Pleistocene of France
Athene trinacriae Pavia et Mourer-Chauviré, 2002 Middle Pleistocene of Sicily
Athene cretensis Weesie, 1982 Late Pleistocene of Greece, Creta
Surnia robusta Jánossy, 1978 Late Pliocene of Hungary
Surnia capeki Jánossy, 1972 Early Pleistocene of the Czech Republic
Glaucidium baranensis Kessler, 2010 Late Pliocene of Hungary

The European Fossil Record of Strigiformes: STRIGIDA Strigidae Striginae

Striginae Leach, 1820
Otini Bonaparte,1854
(Otus mauli Rando, Pieper, Alcover et Olson, 2012) Late Quarternary of the Atlantic Ocean, Macronesia
(Otus frutuosoi Rando, Alcover, Olson et Pieper, 2013) Holocene of the Atlantic Ocean, Azores

Asionini Vigors, 1825
Alasio collongensis (Ballman, 1972) Middle Miocene of France
Intulula tinnipara Mlíkovský, 1998 Early Miocene of Germany and the Czech Republic
Intulula brevis (Ballmann, 1969) Early Miocene of Germany
Asio longaevus (Umanskaya, 1979) Late Miocen of Ukraine

Megascopini Wink, Heidrich, Sauer-Gürth, Elsayed et Gonzalez, 2008

---

Pulsatricini Wink, Heidrich, Sauer-Gürth, Elsayed et Gonzalez, 2008

---

Strigini Leach, 1820
Mioglaux poirrieri (Milne-Edwards, 1863) Early Miocene of France
Mioglaux debellatrix Mlíkovský, 1998 Early Miocene of the Czech Republic
Strix wintershofensis (Ballmann, 1969) Early Miocene of Germany
Strix edwardsi (Ennouchi, 1930) Early Miocene of Germany and France

Bubonini Vigors, 1825
Bubo bubo davidi Mourer-Chauviré, 1975 Early Pliocene of Ukraine, Hungary; Late Pliocene of Poland,Hungary, Germany, Hungary; Early Pleistocene of Rumania, England, Middle Plaistocene of France and Hungaty
Bubo perpastus (Ballmann, 1976) Early Pliocene of Italy
Bubo ibericus Meijer, Pavia, Madurell-Malapeira et Alba, 2017 Late Early Pleistocene of Spain
Bubo insularis Mourer-Chauviré et Weesie, 1986 Late Pleistocene of France, Corsica, Italy Sardinia, Greece, Creta
Bubo scandiacus gallicus (Mourer-Chauviré, 1975) Early to Late Pleistocen of France

Incertae Sedis
“Asio"pygmaeus Serebrovsky, 1941 Early Pliocene of Ukraine
“Bubo"florianae Kretzoi, 1957 Late Miocene of Hungary
“Strix” ignota Milne-Edwards, 1871 Middle Miocene of France

All descriptions up to the 15 of October 2007 can be found on: http://www2.nrm.se/ve/birds/sape/GlobalOwlProject/Fossil_owls/Fossil.html

For later description you can ask me.

Enjoy,

Fred

There is also Tyto melitensis which Mlíkovský regarded as synonym of Tyto alba.

Melanie said:

There is also Tyto melitensis which Mlíkovský regarded as synonym of Tyto alba.

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Yes, Strix melitensis Lydekker, 1891 from an unknown location on Malta was placed in Tyto by Brodkorb, 1970 and placed in synonymy with Tyto alba by Mlíkovský 1998. At this moment it is still a synonym of Tyto alba.

Fred

Fred Ruhe said:

Yes, Strix melitensis Lydekker, 1891 from an unknown location on Malta was placed in Tyto by Brodkorb, 1970 and placed in synonymy with Tyto alba by Mlíkovský 1998. At this moment it is still a synonym of Tyto alba.

Fred

Click to expand...

Which not means that Malta would not have it own owl.

Melanie said:

Which not means that Malta would not have it own owl.

Click to expand...

No, it doen't but please read Jíří Mlíkovský, 1998
A New Barn Owl (Aves: Strigidae) from the Early Miocene of Germany, with Comments on the Fossil History of the Tytoninae
Journal für Ornithologie 139: 247-261
pg. 254-255

Free pdf http://www2.nrm.se/ve/birds/sape/Gl...998 - A new Barn owl - notes on Tytoninae.pdf

and Richard Lydekker, 1891
Catalogue of the Fossil Birds in the British Museum (Natural History)
London, British Museum XXVII 368 pg.
pg. 13

Free pdf
https://ia801409.us.archive.org/21/items/catalogueoffossi00foss/catalogueoffossi00foss.pdf

It will show that an extinct Tyto from Malta has not been found yet.

Fred

Fred