Belongs within: Strigiformes.
Contains: Ciccaba, Athene, Glaucidium, Otus, Asio, Strix, Bubo, Megascops, Ninox novaeseelandiae.
The Strigidae, typical owls, include all the living owls except the barn and grass owls. Members of this family have a round facial disc and relatively larger eyes than the barn owls, and lack a grooming claw on the middle toe.
Historically, the typical owls have been divided between two subfamilies. The Striginae were characterised by a well-defined facial disc, and ear openings at least half the height of the skull, with a marginal dermal flap and a ligamentous or muscular bridge crossing the opening. The Buboninae, in contrast, lacked a strong facial disc and had smaller, simple ear openings. Recent phylogenies, however, have not supported this division, with the ‘Striginae’ being polyphyletic within the ‘Buboninae’. Instead, the hawk-owls of the genus Ninox may diverge basally within the Strigidae; these relatively long-winged and -tailed owls are found in Asia and Australasia.
Other genera include the boreal and saw-whet owls of the genus Aegolius, small, short-tailed and broad-winged owls with well-developed facial discs found in cooler regions of the Holarctic. The northern hawk owl Surnia ulula is another Holarctic species that is unusual in being diurnal. The elf owl Micrathene whitneyi is a small, sparrow-sized owl found in southern North America.
<==Strigidae [Bubonidae, Bubonina, Buboninae, Striginae]
|--+--+--Micrathene whitneyiBKB15
| | `--+--Aegolius Kaup 1829BKB15, M02 [incl. Nyctale Brehm 1831B94; Nyctalinae]
| | | | i. s.: A. ridgwayiJT12
| | | |--A. funereus (Linnaeus 1758)BKB15, M02 (see below for synonymy)
| | | | |--A. f. funereusI92
| | | | `--A. f. pallens (Schalow 1908)I92
| | | `--+--A. acadicusBKB15
| | | `--A. harrisiiBKB15
| | `--+--AtheneBKB15
| | `--+--GlaucidiumBKB15
| | `--Surnia Duméril 1806BKB15, M02 [Surniinae]
| | |--S. capeki Jánossy 1977M02
| | |--S. doliata (Pall. 1811) [=Strix doliata]M01
| | |--S. robusta Jánossy 1977M02
| | `--S. ulula (Linnaeus 1758) [=Strix ulula]S05
| | |--S. u. ulula [incl. S. ulula var. hudsonia Palmén 1887]S05
| | `--S. u. caparoch (Müller 1776) [=Strix caparoch]S05
| `--+--OtusBKB15
| `--+--+--AsioBKB15
| | `--PtilopsisBKB15
| | |--P. granti (Kolibay 1910)BKB15, M-PG70 [=Pisorhina leucotis grantiM-PG70, Otus leucotis grantiM-PG70]
| | `--P. leucotis (Kollibay 1910)BKB15, M-PG70 [=Strix leucotisM-PG70, Otus leucotisJT12]
| `--+--StrixBKB15
| `--+--BuboBKB15
| `--+--+--MegascopsBKB15
| | `--Psiloscops flammeolus [=Otus flammeolus]DW16
| `--+--Lophostrix cristataJT12, DW16
| | |--L. c. cristataE52
| | `--L. c. stricklandiE52
| `--PulsatrixBKB15
| |--P. koeniswaldianaBKB15
| |--P. melanotaJT12
| `--P. perspicillataBKB15
| |--P. p. perspicillataS55
| |--P. p. chapmaniE52
| `--P. p. saturataS55
`--Ninox Hodgson 1837BKB15, CC10 (see below for synonymy)
| i. s.: N. affinisJT12
| |--N. a. affinisA72
| `--N. a. isolataA72
| N. burhaniJT12
| N. forbesiAP21
| N. hypogrammaAP21
| N. iosJT12
| N. jacquinotiJT12
| N. japonicaAP21 [=N. scutulata japonicaM03]
| N. leventisiAP21
| N. meekiJT12
| N. mindorensisAP21
| N. natalis Lister 1889 [=N. forbesi natalis, N. squamipila natalis]JG19
| N. obscuraAP21 [=N. scutulata obscuraA72]
| N. ochraceaJT12
| N. odiosaJT12
| N. punctulataJT12
| N. randiAP21
| N. reyiAP21
| N. rumseyiAP21
| N. spilocephalaAP21
| N. spilonotusAP21
| N. sumbaensisJT12
| N. superciliarisJT12
| N. theomachaJT12
| N. variegataJT12
|--N. philippensisBKB15
`--+--N. scutulataBKB15
| |--N. s. scutulataCC10
| |--N. s. burmanicaA72
| |--N. s. hirsutaA72
| `--N. s. lugubris [incl. *N. nipalensis]CC10
`--+--+--N. rufaBKB15
| | |--N. r. rufaCC10
| | |--N. r. humeralis [=Athene humeralis, *Rhabdoglaux humeralis]CC10
| | |--N. r. meesiM03
| | `--N. r. queenslandicaM03
| `--N. strenuaBKB15 [=Athene strenuaCC10, *Berneyornis strenuaCC10]
`--+--+--N. boobook (Latham 1802)BKB15, CC10 (see below for synonymy)
| `--N. rudolfiBKB15
`--+--N. connivens (Latham 1801)BKB15, WS48 (see below for synonymy)
| |--N. c. connivens (see below for synonymy)WS48
| `--N. c. peninsularisM03
`--+--N. novaeseelandiaeBKB15
`--N. squamipilaJT12
Strigidae incertae sedis:
Mioglaux Mlíkovský 1998M02
|--*M. debellatrix Mlíkovský 1998M02
`--M. poirrieri (Milne-Edwards 1863) [=Bubo poirrieri]M02
Intulula Mlíkovský 1998M02
|--*I. tinnipara Mlíkovský 1998M02
`--I. brevis (Ballmann 1969) [=Strix brevis]M02
Alasio Mlíkovský 1998M02
`--*A. collongensis (Ballmann 1972) [=Strix collongensis]M02
Speotyto cuniculariaRN72, A61
|--S. c. cuniculariaD81
|--S. c. amauraD81
`--S. c. guadeloupensisD81
Rhinoptynx clamatorS18
CiccabaS18
Sceloglaux Kaup 1848CC10
`--*S. albifacies (Gray 1844) [=Athene albifacies, Ieraglaux albifacies, A. albifrons Taylor 1870]CC10
|--S. a. albifacies [incl. Athene ejulans Potts 1871, Strix haasti Buller 1865, Strix haastii]CC10
`--S. a. rufifacies Buller 1904CC10
Margarobyas lawrenciiDW16
Nesasio solomonensisJT12
ScotopeliaJT12
|--S. bouvieri Sharpe 1875M-PG70
|--S. peli Bonaparte 1850M-PG70
`--S. ussheri Sharpe 1871M-PG70
Uroglaux dimorphaJT12
Xenoglaux loweryiJT12
Heteroglaux blewittiJT12
Jubula lettii (Büttikofer 1889) [=Bubo lettii]M-PG70
Gymnoglaux lawrenciiJT12
Scotiaptex Swainson 1837S05
`--S. cinerea (Gmelin 1788) [=Strix cinerea, Syrnium cinerea, Ulula cinerea]S05
|--S. c. cinereaS05
`--S. c. lapponica (Retzius 1800) [=Strix lapponica, Syrnium lapponicum, Ulula cinerea lapponica]S05
Nyctala Brehm 1828S05
`--N. tengmalmi (Gmelin 1788) [=Strix tengmalmi, Nyctale tengmalmi]S05
|--N. t. tengmalmiS05
`--N. t. richardsoni (Bonaparte 1838) [=Nyctale richardsoni, Nyctale tengmalmi var. richardsoni]S05
Pyrroglaux podarginaAP21
Aegolius funereus (Linnaeus 1758)BKB15, M02 [=Strix funereaM02, Surnia funereaS05; incl. Athene noctua veta Jánossy 1974M02]
Ninox Hodgson 1837JT12, CC10 [incl. Berneyornis Mathews 1916CC10, Hieracoglaux Kaup 1848CC10, Ieraglaux Kaup in Jardine 1852CC10, Rhabdoglaux Bonaparte 1854CC10, Spiloglaux Kaup 1848CC10; Ieraglaucinae]
Ninox boobook (Latham 1802)BKB15, CC10 [=Strix boobookCC10, N. novaeseelandiae boobookCC10, *Spiloglaux boobookCC10]
Ninox connivens (Latham 1801)BKB15, WS48 [=Falco connivensCC10, *Hieracoglaux connivensCC10, *Ieraglaux connivensCC10]
Ninox connivens connivens (Latham 1801) [incl. N. connivens addenda Mathews 1912, N. connivens occidentalis Ramsay 1886]WS48
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[A72] Abdulali, H. 1972. A catalogue of the birds in the collection of the Bombay Natural History Society—11. Strigidae and Caprimulgidae. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 69 (1): 102–129.
[AP21] Arlott, N., & B. van Perlo. 2021. Collins Birds of the World. William Collins.
[A61] Austin, O. L., Jr. 1961. Birds of the World: A survey of the twenty-seven orders and one hundred and fifty-five families. Paul Hamlyn: London.
[B94] Bock, W. J. 1994. History and nomenclature of avian family-group names. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 222: 1–281.
[BKB15] Burleigh, J. G., R. T. Kimball & E. L. Braun. 2015. Building the avian tree of life using a large-scale, sparse supermatrix. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 84: 53–63.
[CC10] Checklist Committee (OSNZ). 2010. Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica 4th ed. Ornithological Society of New Zealand and Te Papa Press: Wellington.
[DW16] Dantas, S. M., J. D. Weckstein, J. M. Bates, N. K. Krabbe, C. D. Cadena, M. B. Robbins, E. Valderrama & A. Aleixo. 2016. Molecular systematics of the New World screech-owls (Megascops: Aves, Strigidae): biogeographic and taxonomic implications. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 94: 626–634.
[D81] Day, D. 1981. The Doomsday Book of Animals: A unique natural history of three hundred vanished species. Ebury Press: London.
[E52] Eisenmann, E. 1952. Annotated list of birds of Barro Colorado Island, Panama Canal Zone. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 117 (5): 1–62.
[I92] Iwahashi, J. (ed.) 1992. Reddo Deeta Animaruzu: a pictorial of Japanese fauna facing extinction. JICC: Tokyo.
[JG19] James, D. J., P. T. Green, W. F. Humphreys & J. C. Z. Woinarski. 2019. Endemic species of Christmas Island, Indian Ocean. Records of the Western Australian Museum 34 (2): 55–114.
[JT12] Jetz, W., G. H. Thomas, J. B. Joy, K. Hartmann & A. Ø. Mooers. 2012. The global diversity of birds in space and time. Nature 491: 444–448.
[M-PG70] Mackworth-Praed, C. W., & C. H. B. Grant. 1970. African Handbook of Birds ser. 3 vol. 1. Birds of West Central and Western Africa. Longman: London.
[M01] Madarász, J. 1901. Madarak [Vögel]. In: Horváth, G. (ed.) Zichy Jenő Gróf Harmadik Ázsiai Utazása [Dritte Asiatische Forschungsreise des Grafen Eugen Zichy] vol. 2. Zichy Jenő Gróf Harmadik Ázsiai Utazásának Állattani Eredményei [Zoologische Ergebnisse der Dritten Asiatischen Forschungsreise des Grafen Eugen Zichy] pp. 21–39. Victor Hornyánszky: Budapest, and Karl W. Hierseman: Leipzig.
[M02] Mlíkovský, J. 2002. Cenozoic Birds of the World. Part 1: Europe. Ninox Press: Praha.
[M03] Morcombe, M. 2003. Field Guide to Australian Birds 2nd ed. Steve Parish Publishing.
[RN72] Rutgers, A., & K. A. Norris (eds.) 1972. Encyclopaedia of Aviculture vol. 2. Blandford Press: London.
[S05] Schalow, H. 1905. Die Vögel der Arktis. In: Römer, F., & F. Schaudinn (eds) Fauna Arctica. Eine Zusammenstellun der arktischen Tierformen, mit besonder Berücksichtigung des Spitzbergen-Gebietes auf Grund der Ergebnisse der Deutschen Expedition in das Nördliche Eismeer im Jahre 1898 vol. 4 pp. 79–288. Gustav Fischer: Jena.
[S55] Steinbacher, J. 1955. Über die Schwanzmauser der Eulen (Strigidae) und Nachtschwalben (Caprimulgidae). Senckenbergiana Biologica 36: 235–240.
[S18] Stone, W. 1918. Birds of the Panama Canal Zone, with special reference to a collection made by Mr. Lindsey L. Jewel. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 70: 239–280.
[WS48] Whittell, H. M., & D. L. Serventy. 1948. A systematic list of the birds of Western Australia. Public Library, Museum and Art Gallery of Western Australia, Special Publication 1: 1–126.