Barn Owl Evolution
The oldest known owl fossils are from the miocene which occurred 38 54 million years ago.
Barn owl evolution. The information that has been gathered from them gives as some exciting details about these owls long ago. Co variance for coloration in barn owls. Alexandre roulin is full professor in the department of ecology and evolution at the université de lausanne switzerland. Its front legs where shorter and equipped with three digits for grabbing and tearing prey.
Fossilized remains of the barn owl have been identified that date back 5 5 million years ago. The distribution of fossil and present day owl lineages indicates that their decline is contemporary with the evolution of the different major lineages of typical owls which for the most part seems to have taken place in eurasia. Description description length 6 5 11 5ft height 3ft weight 110lbs adaptions it had long powerful hind legs which were designed for running quickly and leaping from place to place. Based on the fossil evidence these ancient owls evolved into the 2 families of modern owls.
The coverage is based mostly on research on barn owls in europe but studies from north america and on related tyto species including the grass masked and sooty owls are referred to where relevant. We propose that the barn owl s white plumage a rare trait among nocturnal predators. This is why our research group has been dedicated to studying the barn owl for 25 years and counting. He currently participates in a project that combines ecology and reconciliation in the middle east which places the barn owl at the centre of ecological discussions.
Regional variation in barn owls and related species is well described although no explanation is provided for an approach that splits the tyto genus into 17 species across six continents. The bone structure of them shows that the barn owl was more than twice the size back then as it is today. Around the paleogene neogene boundary some 25 mya barn owls were the dominant group of owls in southern europe and adjacent asia at least. Evolution and ecology that compiles the knowledge accumulated worldwide.
This is also why i wrote this new book barn owls. He has published more than 240 research papers the majority of which are on the barn owl. To this end i read 3 696 papers written just on the barn owl and relatives masked owls sooty owls and grass owls.