Athene (owl)

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Athene
Little Owl, Athene noctua
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Strigiformes Family: Strigidae Genus: Athene Boie, 1822
Species
Athene blewitti Athene brama Athene cunicularia Athene noctua and see text
Synonyms
Heteroglaux Speotyto Spheotyto (lapsus)

The genus Athene contains two to four living species of small owls. These birds are small, brown and white speckled owls, with yellow eyes and white eyebrows. This genus is found in all continents except for Australia, Antarctica, and Subsaharan Africa.

• Spotted Owlet, Athene brama
• Little Owl, Athene noctua
• Forest Owlet, Athene blewitti - sometimes placed in Heteroglaux
• Burrowing Owl, Athene cunicularia - sometimes placed in Speotyto
  • Antiguan Burrowing Owl, Athene cunicularia amaura - extinct (c.1905)
  • Guadeloupe Burrowing Owl, Athene cunicularia guadeloupensis - extinct (c.1890)

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)

The Cretan Owl was a flightless or near-flightless form that was almost 2 feet tall. It went extinct soon after the island of Crete became inhabitated by humans.

The supposed species "Athene" murivora is the name given to subfossil bones of male Rodrigues Owls.