Fearful Owl

SCI Name:  Nesasio solomonensis
Protonym:  Pseudoptynx solomonensis Bull.Br.Orn.Club 12 p.25
Taxonomy:  Strigiformes / Strigidae / Nesasio
Taxonomy Code:  feaowl1
Type Locality:  Ysabel Island, Solomon Islands.
Author:  Hartert, E
Publish Year:  1901
IUCN Status:  Vulnerable

DEFINITIONS

NESASIO
(Strigidae; Ϯ Fearful Owl N. solomonensis) Gr. νησος nēsos  island (= Solomon Is.); L. asio, asionis  owl; "P. solomonensis on the other hand is not a bubonine owl at all, but belongs to the Striginae, characterized by a large auricular opening with well developed dermal ear flaps and crossed by a ligamentous bridge. It may be called  Nesasio, n. gen.  A medium sized strigine most nearly allied to Asio Birsson [sic], but body plumage more decomposed and silky; feet and claws extremely large and powerful; tarsi feathered; toes naked; middle toe three-fourths length of tarsus (about one-half in Asio); claw of inner toe longer than claw of middle toe (reverse in other species of Asio except madagascariensis); bill very stout and heavy with culmen arched and strongly decurved; nostril more rounded less oval; wing much rounded; the longest primaries exceeding the tips of the secondaries by less than 20 mm; 4th? primary longest (by a strange coincidence the distal portion of 5th primary is missing in both wings of the single specimen available); outer primaries weakly emarginated; bristles at base of bill strong, though relatively not as well developed as in Asio; no trace of ear tufts. Two other characters noted  may be due to the preparation of the skin, namely, facial disc not clearly defined; eyes much larger.   Type, Pseudoptynx solomonensis Hartert." (J. Peters 1937).

solomonensis / solomonis
Solomon Is.
● Erroneous TL. Solomon Is. (= Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea) (syn. Ninox variegata).