A breeding record of the Ryukyu Scops Owl on Okinoshima, in northernmost Fukuoka, Japan

Masaoki Takagi; Takema Saitoh; Noriyuki Yamaguchi; Hiroto Okabe; Isao Nishiumi; Masayoshi Takeishi

doi:10.2326/osj.14.53

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A breeding record of the Ryukyu Scops Owl on Okinoshima, in northernmost Fukuoka, Japan

Masaoki Takagi, Takema Saitoh, Noriyuki Yamaguchi, Hiroto Okabe, Isao Nishiumi, Masayoshi Takeishi

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Keywords: External morphological identification, Genetic identification, Northern limit of distribution, Otus elegans, Spectrographic identification

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2015 Volume 14 Issue 1 Pages 53-59

DOI https://doi.org/10.2326/osj.14.53

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Abstract

A nest of the Ryukyu Scops Owl Otus elegans was found on Okinoshima (Okino Island), Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan (34.24°N, 130.10°E), in the Tsushima Strait, on 28 July 2013. The breeding pair and their three owlets were caught and their identity confirmed genetically using the BOLD System for COI in the mitochondrial genome. Their calls and external morphological measurements also accorded with what is known of the species. We estimated that at least 23 territorial males inhabit the Island. Okinoshima lies 490 km beyond the previously known northern limit of the species' distribution.

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