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Genus of birds From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Athene is a genus of owls, containing nine living species, depending on classification. These birds are small, with brown and white speckles, yellow eyes, and white eyebrows. This genus is found on all continents except for Australia, Antarctica, and Sub-Saharan Africa. An evolutionary radiation of 4 species (formerly thought to be in the genus Ninox) is also present in the Solomon Islands.
Athene Temporal range: | |
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![]() | |
Little owl, Athene noctua | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Strigiformes |
Family: | Strigidae |
Genus: | Athene F. Boie, 1822 |
Type species | |
Strix noctua Scopoli, 1769 | |
Species | |
Synonyms | |
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The genus Athene was introduced by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie in 1822.[1] The type species was designated as the little owl (Athene noctua) by the English zoologist George Robert Gray in 1841.[2][3] The genus name is from the little owl which was closely associated with the Greek goddess Athena, and often depicted with her. Her original role as a goddess of the night might explain the link to an owl.[4]
The genus contains the following nine species.[5]
Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | Athene noctua | Little owl | Europe, Asia east to Korea and North Africa |
![]() | Athene brama | Spotted owlet | tropical Asia from mainland India to Southeast Asia |
![]() | Athene cunicularia | Burrowing owl | North and South America |
![]() | Athene superciliaris | White-browed owl | Madagascar |
![]() | Athene blewitti | Forest owlet | central India |
![]() | Athene jacquinoti | West Solomons owl | western Solomon Islands |
Athene granti[6] | Guadalcanal owl | Guadalcanal Island, Solomon Islands | |
Athene malaitae[6] | Malaita owl | Malaita Island, Solomon Islands | |
Athene roseoaxillaris[6] | Makira owl | Bauro and Makira Islands, Solomon Islands | |
The forest owlet was formerly placed in the monotypic genus Heteroglaux, and the Solomon Islands radiation was formerly placed in the genus Ninox with the other owls referred to as "boobooks" until taxonomic studies found them to group in Athene.
A number of mainly island representatives of this genus are only known from fossil or subfossil remains:
The Cretan owl was a flightless or near-flightless form that was more than 50 cm (almost 2 ft) tall. It went extinct soon after the island of Crete became inhabited by humans.
Late Miocene (about 11 mya) fossil remains from Rudabánya (NE Hungary) have been tentatively assigned to this genus.[7] Considering the known fossil range of Athene and the misassignments of many Miocene strigids from Europe, it may be a basal member of the present genus or not belong here at all. The supposed species "Athene" murivora was the name given to subfossil bones of male Rodrigues scops owls.
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