Stilt-owl
The stilt-owls (Grallistrix) is an extinct genus of true owls which contains four species, all of which lived on the Hawaiian Islands.
| Stilt-owl Temporal range: Holocene | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Strigidae |
| Genus: | †Grallistrix |
| Species | |
|
Grallistrix auceps | |
Grallistrix can be loosely translated as "owl on stilts". The genus received this name due to the long legs and terrestrial habits which they evolved in the absence of mammalian predators on their island homes. They fed on smaller birds such as Hawaiian honeycreepers. They were also able to fly, but likely did most of their hunting on the ground, filling the niches occupied by medium-sized predatory mammals elsewhere.
The owls were never seen alive by scientists and are known only from subfossil bones.
Species
- Kaua‘i stilt-owl, Grallistrix auceps
- Maui stilt-owl, Grallistrix erdmani
- Moloka‘i stilt-owl, Grallistrix geleches
- O‘ahu stilt-owl, Grallistrix orion
See also
References
- Kay, E. Alison (1994). A Natural History of the Hawaiian Islands: Selected Readings II. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-1659-5.
- Ziegler, Alan C. (2002). Hawaiian Natural History, Ecology, and Evolution. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-2190-4.
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