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Itombwe owl
Conservation status
	; Endangered (IUCN 3.1)
	CITES Appendix II (CITES)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Strigiformes
Family:	Tytonidae
Genus:	Tyto
Species:	T. prigoginei
Binomial name
	Tyto prigoginei; (Schouteden, 1952)
Synonyms
	Phodilus prigoginei Schouteden, 1952

The Itombwe owl (Tyto prigoginei) is a species of owl in the barn owl family, Tytonidae. It is restricted to a small area in the Albertine Rift montane forests.

Taxonomy and systematics

The Itombwe owl was first described by the Belgium naturalist Henri Schouteden in 1952 and given the binomial name Phodilus prigoginei, being placed in the genus Phodilus along with the two Asian bay owls, being referred to as the Congo bay owl or African bay owl. The specific epithet was chosen in honour of the Russian-born mineralogist and ornithologist Alexandre Prigogine who had first brought the owl to Schouteden's attention.^[3]^[4] The owl is not well known and has been treated as a race of the Oriental bay owl, but this is now considered unlikely, and, in fact, the two species do not appear to be closely related. Even so, its inclusion in Phodilus is rather dubious, and genetic research is required. It is possible that this species may instead be placed in the genus Tyto or even a separate monotypic genus. In 2023, this species was classified into Tyto by the International Ornithological Congress on the basis of morphological similarities.^[5]^[6]

Description

The Itombwe owl is a small owl with chestnut brown on the upper-parts, black and white spots on the crown and nape, and reddish cream underparts. The only specimens known have been adult females, males and juveniles are therefore unknown.^[7] It is smaller than typical barn owls and has a more U-shaped facial disk; its earlike feather tufts are hardly visible. Similar to the Oriental bay owl in plumage colour and pattern, its facial disc is heart-shaped like that of the western barn owl, and either resemblance may be due to convergence.^[7]^[8]

Distribution and habitat

The type specimen was collected at Muusi, at an altitude of 2,430m, in the Itombwe Mountains in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in 1951.^[9] It was then unconfirmed until a second individual was captured in a mist net in 1996 in the south east corner of the Itombwe Mountains, some 95 km south of, and 600m, lower than the collection site of the type specimen.^[10] In addition there was the recording in Rwanda mentioned above and a possible sighting in Burundi in 1974.

Both of the specimens captured were taken in similar habitat of montane forest interspersed with areas of grassland and stands of bamboo.^[8]

Conservation

The biology of the Itombwe owl is almost completely unknown as is its population size or even its complete geographic range. Conservation efforts cannot start without this research. It is threatened by the clearing of its habitat for small scale agriculture as well as by logging, mining, wildfires and forest clearance.^[11] The Itombwe Forest has recently been proposed as a community reserve, but its boundaries still require defining.^[9] The Itombwe Nature Reserve was established, but enforcement has been lacking, as the expected development in infrastructure, tourism, and jobs did not materialize. Nonetheless, the forest remains relatively intact. ^[12]

References

^ BirdLife International (2016). "Phodilus prigoginei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22688529A93199883. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22688529A93199883.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
^ Schouteden, Henri (1952). "Un strigide nouveau d'Afrique noire: Phodilus prigoginei nov. sp" (PDF). Revue de Zoologie et de Botanique Africaine (in French). 46: 423–428. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-07-20. Retrieved 2017-12-23.
^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 317. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
^ König, Claus (2015). Owls of the world. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-7136-6548-2. OCLC 929818095.
^ "Owls – IOC World Bird List". www.worldbirdnames.org. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
^ ^a ^b König, Claus; Weick, Friedhelm; Becking, Jan-Hendrick (1999). Owls A Guide to the Owls of the World. Pica Press. pp. 207–208. ISBN 1-873403-74-7.
^ ^a ^b Bruce, M.D.; Kirwan, G.M.; Marks, J.S. (2017). del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). "Congo Bay-owl (Phodilus prigoginei)". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
^ ^a ^b "Congo Bay-owl Phodilus prigoginei". Birdlife International. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
^ Butynski, T.M; Agenonga, U.; Ndera, B.; Hart, J. (1997). "Rediscovery of the Congo Bay Owl". African Bird Club Bulletin. 4 (1): 32–35. Archived from the original on 2019-08-03. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
^ "25. Congo Bay-owl (Phodilus prigoginei)". EDGE Evolutionary Distinct & Globally Endangered. Zoological Society of London. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
^ Vyawahare, Malavika (2024-09-10). "The Itombwe owl: Two birds and an identity crisis". Mongabay Environmental News. Retrieved 2024-09-11.