Athene (bird)

Athene; Temporal range: Late Miocene to recent
	Little owl, Athene noctua
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Strigiformes
Family:	Strigidae
Genus:	Athene; F. Boie, 1822
Type species
	Strix noctua; Scopoli, 1769
Species
	Athene blewitti; Athene brama; Athene cunicularia; Athene noctua; Athene superciliaris; Athene jacquinoti;
Synonyms
	Heteroglaux; Speotyto; Spheotyto (lapsus)

Athene is a genus of owls, containing six 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 Subsaharan Africa.

Taxonomy and list of species

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 five species.[5]

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 - sometimes placed in Speotyto	Burrowing owl	North and South America
Athene superciliaris	White-browed owl	Madagascar
Athene blewitti - sometimes placed in Heteroglaux	Forest owlet	central India
Athene jacquinoti	Solomons boobook	Solomon Islands (archipelago)

Extinct species

A number of mainly island representatives of this genus are only known from fossil or subfossil remains:

Athene megalopeza (fossil; Rexroad Late Pliocene of WC USA) - sometimes placed in Speotyto
Athene veta (fossil; Early Pleistocene of Rebielice, Poland)
Athene angelis (fossil; Middle - Late Pleistocene of Castiglione, Corsica)
Athene trinacriae (Pleistocene)
Athene cf. cunicularia (fossil; Pleistocene of Barbuda, West Indies) - sometimes placed in Speotyto
Athene cf. cunicularia (fossil; Pleistocene of Cayman Islands, West Indies) - sometimes placed in Speotyto
Athene cf. cunicularia (fossil; Pleistocene of Jamaica, West Indies) - sometimes placed in Speotyto
Athene cf. cunicularia (fossil; Pleistocene of Mona Island, West Indies) - sometimes placed in Speotyto
Athene cf. cunicularia (fossil; Pleistocene of Puerto Rico, West Indies) - sometimes placed in Speotyto
Cretan owl, Athene cretensis (prehistoric; Crete, Mediterranean)

Cretan owl with Candiacervus ropalophorus

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.[6] 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. The supposed species "Athene" murivora is the name given to subfossil bones of male Rodrigues owls.

- Antiguan burrowing owl, Athene cunicularia amaura - extinct (c.1905)
- Guadeloupe burrowing owl, Athene cunicularia guadeloupensis - extinct (c.1890)

References

Boie, Friedrich (1822). "Ueber Classification, insonderheit der europäischen Vogel". Isis von Oken (in German). Cols 545–564 [549].
Gray, George Robert (1841). A List of the Genera of Birds : with their Synonyma and an Indication of the Typical Species of Each Genus (2nd ed.). London: R. and J.E. Taylor. p. 7.
Peters, James Lee, ed. (1940). Check-List of Birds of the World. Volume 4. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 147.
Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 58, 274. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (2020). "Owls". IOC World Bird List Version 10.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
Bernor, R.L.; Kordos, L. & Rook, L. (eds): "Recent Advances on Multidisciplinary Research at Rudabánya, Late Miocene (MN9), Hungary: A compendium. Archived 2007-06-28 at the Wayback Machine" Paleontographica Italiana 89: 3-36.

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[1] Boie, Friedrich (1822). "Ueber Classification, insonderheit der europäischen Vogel". Isis von Oken (in German). Cols 545–564 [549].

[2] Gray, George Robert (1841). A List of the Genera of Birds : with their Synonyma and an Indication of the Typical Species of Each Genus (2nd ed.). London: R. and J.E. Taylor. p. 7.

[3] Peters, James Lee, ed. (1940). Check-List of Birds of the World. Volume 4. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 147.

[job-4] Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 58, 274. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.

[ioc-5] Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (2020). "Owls". IOC World Bird List Version 10.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 30 September 2020.

[6] Bernor, R.L.; Kordos, L. & Rook, L. (eds): "Recent Advances on Multidisciplinary Research at Rudabánya, Late Miocene (MN9), Hungary: A compendium. Archived 2007-06-28 at the Wayback Machine" Paleontographica Italiana 89: 3-36.