Little Owl

Athene noctua orientalis (Severtzov, 1873)

2008-12-17 Sogety valley, Almaty oblast	© Askar Isabekov

Description

Upper parts are clay-grey, less brownish; usually lighter than on bactriana (but occasionally not distinguished from bactriana). The dark pattern on under parts is slightly more contrast than on bactriana. The white mottling of upper parts is more developed than at other races. Male wing length 165-172 (168), female 170-181 (176) mm.

Distribution

Breeds in Tien Shan, Dzhungarskiy Alatau, Tarbagatay ridges and probably foothills of Altai and Kalbinskiy Altai. A.M. Chelzov-Bebutov (1978) considers that birds recorded in Kyzyltau Mts. at south of Pavlodar region refer to this subspecies.

References

Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005. В.К.Рябицев. "Птицы Урала, Приуралья и Западной Сибири". Екатеринбург, Изд-во Уральского университета, 2000. Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999.