#tengmalm's owl

[alphynix]

Strange Symmetries #23: Convergent Earvolution

Although it's not visible externally, owls have one of the most striking modern examples of asymmetry. The ears of many species are uneven, with the right ear opening positioned higher up than the left, giving them the ability to pinpoint the sounds of their prey much more accurately.

But surprisingly this isn't a unique anatomical trait that only ever evolved once in their common ancestor.

Instead, multiple different lineages of owls have actually convergently evolved wonky ears somewhere between four and seven separate times.

The boreal owl (Aegolius funereus), also known as Tengmalm's owl, is a small 25cm long (~10") true owl found across much of the northern parts of both Eurasia and North America. While most other owls' asymmetrical ear openings are formed just by soft tissue, the boreal owl's lopsided ears are actually visible in the bones of its skull.

But despite how many times owls have convergently evolved asymmetrical ears, and how successful this adaptation has been for them, for a long time it seemed to be something that no other animals have ever mimicked.

In the early 2000s asymmetric ears were reported in the skulls of some troodontid dinosaurs, which seem to have been nocturnal hearing-based hunters similar to owls, but proper details on this feature still haven't been formally published.

Then, just a couple of weeks ago, another example was finally announced.

The night parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis) is a small ground-dwelling parrot found in Australia, close to the same size as the boreal owl at around 22cm long (~9"). Critically endangered and very elusive, it's rarely seen and little is known about it – and it was presumed extinct for much of the 20th century, until more recent sightings of living individuals confirmed that the species is still hanging on.

Recent studies of preserved museum specimens have revealed that it seems to have poor night vision but excellent hearing, and that its right ear opening is noticeably asymmetrical, bulging out sideways from its skull. Much like owls the night parrot relies on acute directional hearing to navigate in darkness, but since its diet consists mainly of seeds it's probably not using this ability to locate food sources. Instead it may be listening out to keep track of the precise locations of other parrots, and for the approach of predators – so its sharp sense of hearing may be the reason this unique bird has so far just barely managed to survive the presence of invasive cats and foxes.

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NixIllustration.com | Tumblr | Twitter | Patreon

[jemichiart]

I should be working on zine projects (or just sleeping, since I'm ill), but I really felt like drawing a tiny little owl, so this happened. xD

If you like this little owl, you can get this design as many kinds of prints or products on:

[nkp1981]

Tengmalm's Owl (Aegolius Funereus)

Photo: EE Photography

[pumpking64]

Photos under the cut

[9oolecom]

Tengmalm's Owl

[mer-acle]

Here's a video on how different owls sound and bc I feel funny I'm gonna describe them

Barn owl: Fucking cryptid screech Snowy owl: witchcackle.mp3 from pixabay Great Horned Owl: Naaww listen to this cute little chirp. Sounds a little like a horse Spotted owl: Gossip shocked noise ™ (looks that way too) Eagle Owl: We've upgraded to eviladvisorcackle.mp3 Burrowing Owl: FINALLY AN OWL THAT HOOTS!!! (so cute) Little Owl: The gremling scream you'd expect from it Elf owl: Sounds like a DJ scratch Northern Hawk Owl: Does not sound like a hawk actually Great Grey Owl: Committed to one hoo and runs with that Long Eared Owl: Ah look. A cat. Barred Owl: And here's the matching dog. Northern Saw Whet Owl: Honey, the water is boiling, put out the kettle! Short-eared Owl: Grumpy old woman at the mall. Spectacled Owl: Is that meant to be a laugh? Bc that's a fail Western Screech owl: It sounds like a soundeffect of something dropping and like spinning around for a bit before it lies still Eastern Screech Owl: Sounds like any other bird ever Eurasian Pygmy Owl: Someone's whistling but what song is it? Boreal Owl: Slightly sped up hoo, but still hoo! Oriental Bay Owl: Are you okay you sound anxious? Also looks like a Maki lol Tawny Owl: Spooky Hoo™ Striped Owl: Rubber Duck Tawny Fish Owl: Slightly uncommitted cryptid screech. Spotted Wood Owl: Sounds exactly like the Spotted owl but looks nothing like it. Eurasian Scop Owl: Sounds like it says no, but doesn't really care. Tengmalm's Owl: Spooky hoo, but nice about it. Ural Owl: Can you pick one sound?

(clearly I have no knowledge on owls and idk what other sounds each type makes this is just based on the video I watched for the sake of fanfic lol Owls are cute. I like them)

[podartists]

Boreal Owl, Tengmalm's Owl (Aegolius funereus) illustrated by the von Wright brothers | rawpixel

[birbs-in-space]

🦖🕶️ and um the bird one i don’t have the emoji. for the ask game <3

Thank youuuu!! 💙

Favorite Dinosaur 🦖

Probably the Archaeopteryx!! I know it's cheating a little because it's basically like what if a dinosaur looked a lot like a modern day bird, but it's so excellently shaped <3 Also i think about this art piece a lot

Favorite Sunglasses Tint 🕶️

I think I've actually only used gray! I wear glasses and they have transition lenses and I kind of need them because I have some light sensitivity in my eyes, so I'm very attached to my glasses not putting a colored tint on my vision ahaha

Favorite Bird 🐦‍⬛

Theee impossible question however I actually got 4 of these so I'm gonna talk about different bird groups in each of them gjfidsjgfi

Owls! Fun fact, I watched a Great Horned Owl nest cam for several months straight in early 2016.

Tengmalm's Owl | Barred Eagle Owl¹ | Burrowing Owls

¹ Pictured above is a chick, which is VERY cute, however, this doesn't capture how absolutely funny the adults can look. Linked is my favorite video of this bird of all time.

I also tried to track down my fave Snowy Owl video on YouTube, but it looks like it's since been taken down D: Thankfully my 16 year old self had the foresight to save it to my long since abandoned Dropbox account, so I can share it here with you. This was taken at the Dublin Zoo (by someone who isn't me of course jigfjsigf).

Honorable Mentions:

Blakiston's fish owl - absolute unit

Philippine eagle owl - eyelashes

Ferruginous pygmy owl - tiny little cactus owls

Powerful owl - its got such a small head for its body also please look at this image

Ask game here!

[devilbirder]

This week is my first time birding Shetland properly, although I've plenty of fond memories from twitches (day trips!) for Cape May Warbler, Killdeer, Pine Grosbeak and Tengmalm's Owl over the years.

The view from our accommodation is superb, with a bird-filled loch and a peaceful bay below us.

In exploring the local area, we homed in on a lush garden on a hillside. We were greeted by the resident and, after searching his name, we quickly realised that he is a highly esteemed birder and ringer, having written books on some of Britain's most fabled birding islands and travelled across the world conducting research over the course of decades.

Sadly, this lovely gentleman has had to give up ringing due to challenges with memory and thinking, but he is always wearing his binoculars when he comes to say hello. While showing us his awesome collection of books, journals, notebooks and photographs, he reminisced fondly of his past trips, and how much he'd love to visit far-flung places again.

His garden once contained many well-maintained net rides for catching, ringing and releasing migrant birds. Now, like his thoughts, it is becoming a bit of a tangle and the clearings are hard to discern.

But the birds still come, and he still watches them. We have enjoyed the likes of Hawfinch, Yellow-browed Warbler (photo) and Mealy Redpoll there; over the years it has attracted rarities I can only dream of.

It is truly touching to see birding continue to bring our new friend joy and peace even through the dark clouds of dementia. Not only do the birds help but local birders pop round to look after him and share stories. It's hard to think of a better support system for someone to whom birds have been a constant in life.

[maureen2musings]

...

npekonen

[uwmspeccoll]

Monday Motivation Owl

These two tiny owls are wondering when you are going to decide to get motivated this Monday.  Hmm?

Even though these two are the smallest of all European owls, their diminutive size makes them extra motivated. The Boreal Owl on the left (Aegolius funereus), also called Tengmalm's Owl (reflected in the 19th-century nomenclature above) after Swedish naturalist Peter Gustaf Tengmalm, doesn’t get much bigger than 10-11 inches. The Eurasian Pygmy Owl on the right (Glaucidium passerinum) is even smaller, topping out at about 7 inches.

These owls were rendered by the noted German naturalist artist Gustav Mützel, and engraved in wood by Karl Jahrmargt, from Part 2, Volume 2 of Brehms Theirleben (1882).  

View more posts from Brehms Thierleben.

View more motivated (and some unmotivated) owls.

[superbnature]

Brembling by ysbae491 http://ift.tt/2ppSWzv

[terranlifeform]

[gracefree]

End of history (Pygmy owl) by dubinkinv

[antoine-lantieri]

#Chouette #Owl #Blanc-Noir #White_Black #tengmalm #Chouette_tengmalm #SaintMande #AntoineLantieri #ArtContemporain #ContemporyArt #Saint_Mandé #Paris #France #Gouache #Watercolor #Forêt #Wood #Forest #Hiver # Winter (à Saint-Mandé, France) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCzJxzSBM0a/?igshid=aml4bf7pddsj

[etyileiet]

Boreal Owl / Tengmalm’s Owl by Milan_Zygmunt