Saturday 17 January 2009

Pueo

Pueo (or Hawaiian owl) is the endemic race of short-eared owl asio flammeus sandwichensis that occurs on Hawaii.

Short-eared owl have a worldwide range that covers North America South America, Eurasia, North Africa, Middle East, Pakistan and S China; the Caribbean, Falkland Islands, Galapagos, and Hawaiian Islands.

This photograph was taken on the Saddle Road en-route to Hakalau. One of two birds seen (the first was observed flying off with a large rodent), this bird duly obliged by sitting on a roadside fence post while we observed from the comfort of our 4x4 van. I can't say that there is any significant plumage variation to birds that I have seen in the UK, nor that it is unusual to see a short-eared owl during daylight - it was however a very good start to our day with Hawaii Forest and Trail.

2 comments:

oldcrow61 said...

What a gorgeous bird. Great shot.

John Malloy said...

Thanks oldcrow, the photo was taken through the window of the van! SEO are among my favorite species, I've spent many an hour in the field trying to get the perfect photo