Omani owl

The Omani owl, scientifically known as Strix butleri, is a species of owl that was formally described in 2013. It is found in the shrubland and rocky terrains of Oman, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. This owl is distinguished by its unique physical characteristics, including a bi-colored pale and dark grey face, striking orange eyes, and plumage featuring dark greyish-brown upperparts and pale underparts adorned with long, narrow vertical dark streaks. Its legs are relatively long, and both its wings and tail are banded.

Discovery and Taxonomy

The original specimen that led to the scientific description of Strix butleri was collected by Colonel Edward Arthur Butler and described by Allan Octavian Hume in 1878, who named it in Butler's honor. For many years, owls observed in the Middle East were presumed to belong to this single species. However, a significant taxonomic revision occurred in 2015. Researchers identified a distinct population of Strix owls in Oman that differed morphologically and vocally from the widely recognized Hume's owl. This newly identified population was initially named Strix omanensis, or the Omani owl.

Subsequent analysis of the original holotype of Strix butleri revealed it was more closely related to the newly described Omani owl than to other specimens previously identified as Hume's owl. This led to the conclusion that Strix omanensis is likely a synonym of Strix butleri. Consequently, the more widespread Middle Eastern species was renamed Strix hadorami, commonly known as the desert owl. The conservation status for Strix omanensis was listed as data deficient by the IUCN, a classification that now more appropriately applies to Strix hadorami due to taxonomic changes.