Akun eagle-owl

Akun Eagle-owl
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Subkingdom	Bilateria
Branch	Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum	Chordata
Sub-phylum	Vertebrata
Infraphylum	Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass	Tetrapoda
Class	Aves
Sub-class	Neornithes
Infra-class	Neoaves
Order Information
Order	Strigiformes
Family Information
Family	Strigidae
Sub-family	Striginae
Genus Information
Genus	Bubo
Species Information
Species	B. leucostictus
Population statistics
Population	Unknown
Conservation status	Least concern

The Akun eagle-owl, or sooty eagle-owl (Bubo leucostictus), is a species of owl found in West and Central Africa.

Description

Akun eagle-owls are small in comparison to other owls of the genus Bubo, with a body length of 15 to 18 inches. The top, head, and chest is a dark reddish brown, marked with brown bars on the back; white mottling is also present. The ear tufts are large, colored dark brown and spotted with white. The overall coloration has been described as "sooty", hence the other name. The underside of the body is a pale brown, with darker brown spots and streaks. The claws are relatively weak.

Range and habitat

Akun eagle-owls are found in western and central Africa from Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, the Ivory Coast, Ghana and Nigeria to Cameroon and Congo and north-western Angola. They predominantly inhabit tropical and semi-tropical rainforests, and old secondary forests.

Habits

Akun eagle-owls are nocturnal, with the greatest activity occurring on moonlit nights. It rests during daytime in dense forest, where the abundance of leaves provide cover. Due to its size and weak talons, the diet consists mainly of large insects such as beetles, cicadas and cockroaches.

Reproductive biology has not yet been sufficiently investigated, with egg laying observed on ground nests taking place from November to January.