| Abyssinian Owl | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Strigidae |
| Genus: | Asio |
| Species: | A. abyssinicus |
| Binomial name | |
| Asio abyssinicus (Guérin-Méneville, 1843) |
|
The Abyssinian Owl or African Long-eared Owl, Asio abyssinicus, is a medium-sized owl with yellow eyes, a black bill and gray eyebrows. It is similar in appearance to the Long-eared Owl, Asio otus, but is overall darker, and their ranges do not overlap. It has long, brown, white-edged ear tufts that are slightly centrally located on the head.
This owl prefers open grasslands or moorlands with oak or cedar forests, and it occurs in mountain valleys and gorges up to 3900 meters (12,800 ft.) above sea level. It lives in a large range in Africa from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Ethiopia (BirdLife International 2007).