Madagascar Owl Asio madagascariensis Scientific name definitions

c. 40–50 cm (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); 770 g (n = 1 female) (2 Rene de Roland, L.-A. and Goodman, S.M. (2003). Asio madagascariensis, Madagascar Long-eared Owl, Hanka, Ankana. Pp. 1116-1118 in: Goodman, S.M. & Benstead, J.P. eds. (22262263). The Natural History of Madagascar. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Close ). Medium-sized strigid; head dark brown, flecked with tan; long , similarly coloured ear tufts ; buffy-tan facial disc , turning to dark brown around deep; upperparts vermiculated and spotted brown, tan and black; flight feathers and tail barred brown and buff; breast and belly light buffish with dark brown shaft streaks , becoming more widely spaced and arrow-shaped toward belly; irides orange; cere greyish-brown (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); bill blackish with paler tip (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); toes yellowish-brown. Sexes similar, female larger. At fledging, juvenile with white down and contrasting black facial mask, ear tufts fully visible; after first molt, streaked paler buff than adult with buffy-white barring on scapulars and inner secondaries, paler buff underparts (3 Safford, R.J. and Hawkins, A.F.A. eds. (2013). The Birds of Africa. Vol. 8: The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London. Close ).

Madagascar.

Humid evergreen forest, dry deciduous forest and gallery forest; also dense secondary woodland, including degraded habitats such as urban areas, parks and plantations (3 Safford, R.J. and Hawkins, A.F.A. eds. (2013). The Birds of Africa. Vol. 8: The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London. Close , 2 Rene de Roland, L.-A. and Goodman, S.M. (2003). Asio madagascariensis, Madagascar Long-eared Owl, Hanka, Ankana. Pp. 1116-1118 in: Goodman, S.M. & Benstead, J.P. eds. (22262263). The Natural History of Madagascar. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Close ); observed from sea-level to at least 1625 m (3 Safford, R.J. and Hawkins, A.F.A. eds. (2013). The Birds of Africa. Vol. 8: The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London. Close ), perhaps occurs to 1800 m elevation (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Roosts in thick vegetation during day.

Resident (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Mainly small mammals, including rats (Rattus) and mouse lemurs (Microcebus), with greatest proportion of diet introduced rodents; also takes free-tailed bats (Tadarida); occasionally amphibians, reptiles, birds and insects (3 Safford, R.J. and Hawkins, A.F.A. eds. (2013). The Birds of Africa. Vol. 8: The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London. Close ). Long powerful claws; takes large prey for its size; average prey mass c. 70–80 g (3 Safford, R.J. and Hawkins, A.F.A. eds. (2013). The Birds of Africa. Vol. 8: The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London. Close ). Strictly nocturnal. Hunts in forest and also in adjacent open areas.

Long series of accipiter-like, barking “wan gwan, wan gwan”  notes, accelerating and increasing in volume, dropping and fading at end; also lilting “ulooh”, repeated at intervals. Food-begging fledglings give an upward-inflected "screech"  (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Little information. One nesting event, on Masoala peninsula, followed from pair formation to fledging (2 Rene de Roland, L.-A. and Goodman, S.M. (2003). Asio madagascariensis, Madagascar Long-eared Owl, Hanka, Ankana. Pp. 1116-1118 in: Goodman, S.M. & Benstead, J.P. eds. (22262263). The Natural History of Madagascar. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Close ): nest placed on clump of epiphytes c. 9 m above ground; eggs laid on 2 and 3 Sept; incubation period 35–36 days; nestling period c. 36 days; fledglings remained within 15 m of nest for 1 week and then within 50–70 m of nest until leaving natal area permanently when 64 days old (2 Rene de Roland, L.-A. and Goodman, S.M. (2003). Asio madagascariensis, Madagascar Long-eared Owl, Hanka, Ankana. Pp. 1116-1118 in: Goodman, S.M. & Benstead, J.P. eds. (22262263). The Natural History of Madagascar. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Close ). From anecdotal reports, nesting occurs Aug–Nov; one nest seen on epiphytic fern; also said to lay in old stick nests of other birds (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); clutch size 2–3 eggs; 3 young observed mid-Oct, roosting juvenile seen late Dec (3 Safford, R.J. and Hawkins, A.F.A. eds. (2013). The Birds of Africa. Vol. 8: The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London. Close ).

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). CITES II. No information on global population size or population trends. Status difficult to assess because of secretive and nocturnal lifestyle; may be overlooked. More commonly seen in E at Andapa, Maroantsetra, Sihanaka forest, Andasibe, Ranomafana, and forest of Sambirano and Montagne d’Ambre, on High Plateau; and at Morondava and Berenty in W and S. Persecuted by villagers, who regard it as an evil omen; in 1982, dead adult seen nailed up on outskirts of a village. May be threatened by deforestation, which is extensive in Madagascar, but uses wide variety of habitats, including those heavily disturbed by humans, and readily feeds on introduced rodents (3 Safford, R.J. and Hawkins, A.F.A. eds. (2013). The Birds of Africa. Vol. 8: The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London. Close ).