Itombwe Owl Tyto prigoginei Scientific name definitions

23–25 cm (1 Mikkola, H. (2014). Owls of the World. A Photographic Guide. 2nd edition. Firefly Books, Buffalo, NY, USA. Close ), 195 g (probably female) (2 Butynski, T.M., Agenonga, U., Ndera, B. and Hart, J.F. (1997). Rediscovery of the Congo Bay (Itombwe) Owl Phodilus prigoginei. Bulletin of the African Bird Club. 4(1): 32-35. Close ); wingspan 63 cm (2 Butynski, T.M., Agenonga, U., Ndera, B. and Hart, J.F. (1997). Rediscovery of the Congo Bay (Itombwe) Owl Phodilus prigoginei. Bulletin of the African Bird Club. 4(1): 32-35. Close ). Male undescribed, presumably similar to female. Female deep rufous-brown above, feather tips with small black-edged white spots, wings and tail barred dark brown; facial disc light rufous-buff, with darker rim; pale rufous below, breast and flanks finely spotted dark brown or black (3 Browne, P.W.P. and Browne, L. (2001). Probable Congo Bay Owl Phodilus prigoginei in Burundi. Scopus. 21: 55-56. Close ); irides dark brown to blackish; bill yellowish-horn (4 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); toes yellowish-grey (4 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Differs from wholly allopatric P. badius in heart-shaped (not squarish) facial disc, lack of ear-tufts, small eyes (more typical of Tyto than Phodilus), more compressed bill and relatively small feet with robust claws. Sympatric affinis race of Tyto alba is larger and has white facial disc (4 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Juvenile unknown.

Occasionally treated as a race of P. badius, but this seems hardly probable, and the two do not appear closely related. Inclusion in Phodilus perhaps questionable, and genetic research required; present species shows some similarities to P. badius in plumage coloration, but shape of facial disc rather different, more heart-shaped as in Tyto, leading to its treatment in that genus (4 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close , 5 Dickinson, E. C., and J. V. Remsen, Editors (2013). The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. Fourth edition. Volume 1. Aves Press, Eastbourne, UK. Close , 1 Mikkola, H. (2014). Owls of the World. A Photographic Guide. 2nd edition. Firefly Books, Buffalo, NY, USA. Close ), unless it belongs in a genus of its own. Monotypic.

Itombwe (Mitumba) Massif, extreme E DRCongo; also probably adjacent SW Rwanda (Nyungwe Forest) and NW Burundi (near Teza).

Both definite records from montane forest interspersed with bamboo thicket and grassland, at 1830 m and 2430 m (2 Butynski, T.M., Agenonga, U., Ndera, B. and Hart, J.F. (1997). Rediscovery of the Congo Bay (Itombwe) Owl Phodilus prigoginei. Bulletin of the African Bird Club. 4(1): 32-35. Close ); one bird discovered roosting in a grass clearing, subsequently recorded flying 50 m inside gallery montane forest (wooded valleys and scrubby open tops). Two probable records from similar habitats, at 2000 m and 2500 m. Presumably depends on forest, including selectively logged areas and edge; probable Burundi sighting, in forest surrounding tea estate, suggests possible use of hunting territory outside forest.

Presumably sedentary.

Undescribed, but long legs might indicate that it spends much time hunting on ground (1 Mikkola, H. (2014). Owls of the World. A Photographic Guide. 2nd edition. Firefly Books, Buffalo, NY, USA. Close ); the probable observation in 1974 involved a bird on the ground (3 Browne, P.W.P. and Browne, L. (2001). Probable Congo Bay Owl Phodilus prigoginei in Burundi. Scopus. 21: 55-56. Close ) and the bird trapped in 1996 was estimated to have been flying just 1·3 m above the ground (2 Butynski, T.M., Agenonga, U., Ndera, B. and Hart, J.F. (1997). Rediscovery of the Congo Bay (Itombwe) Owl Phodilus prigoginei. Bulletin of the African Bird Club. 4(1): 32-35. Close ).

Not definitely known. Unconfirmed but probable Rwanda record based on call, described as “wok wok wok”, considered structurally similar to that of P. badius.

Undescribed, though suspected to nest in tree cavities (4 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

ENDANGERED. CITES II. Restricted-range species: present in Albertine Rift Mountains EBA. Rare and elusive, with overall population estimated at 2500–9999 mature individuals within range of 4700 km². Many unsuccessful attempts to find the species since its initial discovery in Mar 1951, until rediscovered (mist-netted and released unharmed) in same region in May 1996. The two unconfirmed records are very close to species’ only known locality, the nearest being c. 50 km to E, where probably heard in Jan–Feb 1990; Burundi observation, however, may have been as long ago as Dec 1974 (3 Browne, P.W.P. and Browne, L. (2001). Probable Congo Bay Owl Phodilus prigoginei in Burundi. Scopus. 21: 55-56. Close ). BirdLife International reported that recent targeted surveys of Kibira and and Mt Kabogo also were unsuccessful. Species almost surely declining as a result of forest clearing for agriculture and livestock grazing; other threats include mining and hunting (2 Butynski, T.M., Agenonga, U., Ndera, B. and Hart, J.F. (1997). Rediscovery of the Congo Bay (Itombwe) Owl Phodilus prigoginei. Bulletin of the African Bird Club. 4(1): 32-35. Close , 6 Omari, I., Hart, J.A., Butynski, T.M., Birhashirwa, N.R., Upoki, A., M’Keyo, Y., Bengana, F., Bashonga, M. and Bagurubumwe, N. (1999). The Itombwe Massif, Democratic Republic of Congo: biological surveys and conservation, with an emphasis on Grauer’s gorilla and birds endemic to the Albertine Rift. Oryx. 33(4): 301-322. Close ). Further research clearly required.