Pulsatrix melanota

Cladus: Eukaryota
Supergroup: Opisthokonta
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Classis: Aves
Subclassis: Carinatae
Infraclassis: Neornithes
Parvclassis: Neognathae
Ordo: Strigiformes
Familia: Strigidae
Subfamilia: Striginae
Species: Pulsatrix melanota
Subspecies: P. m. melanota - P. m. philoscia

Name

Pulsatrix melanota (Tschudi, 1844)

Reference

Archiv für Naturgeschichte. Berlin. 10 p.266

Vernacular names
Česky: Puštík načernalý
English: Band-bellied Owl

The Band-bellied Owl (Pulsatrix melanota) is a species of owl in the Strigidae family. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

This owl is fairly large, variously reported from 35.5 to 48 cm (14-19 in) long. It is dark brown above and whitish below with prominent rusty-colored barring and a broad brown chest band mottled with whitish-buff. Its facial disc is dark brown with white spectacles. The throat has a white half-collar. The eyes are a reddish-brown. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, between an elevation of 700 m and 1,600 m.

The behavior of this owl is almost completely unknown. Like its better known cousin, the Spectacled Owl, it is believed to hunt a wide variety of prey while watching from a perch and dropping down to catch prey.

References

* BirdLife International 2004. Pulsatrix melanota. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 24 July 2007.