Dominica Botanic Gardens Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica, West Indies

Photo: Dan Lockshaw Photo: Jurgen

Description: Large, long-legged, nocturnal owl, 30-43 cm long (12-17 in), the only owl on the island; is of a smaller race than the Barn Owls of the Western Caribbean; has flat, round or heart-shaped, tan face, with large, dark eyes, and short, creamish, hooked beak; upperparts are brown with black spots, lowerparts are tan with darker brown spots; has short, light brown tail with dark brown bars; wings also have dark brown bars; legs are short and feathered, with light brown, scaly feet; the Barn Owl hunts at night, feeding on small mammals, small birds, bats, small lizards and snakes, and large insects; males and females are similar; since it hunts at night, it is rarely seen in the Gardens, though the odd specimen might be seen in the gloom at the base of Morne Bruce along the Upper Garden Path; the Caribs believed if an owl flew over the village and screeched once, there would be a pregnancy; twice, an illness; and three times, a death; click here to see its video, and here to listen to its calls. References: Arlington James, et al. Dominica’s Birds. Forestry, Wildlife and Parks Division, Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment, Dominica, 2005 James Bond. Birds of the West Indies. Collins, St James Place, London, 4th Edition, 1979 Herbert Raffaele, et al. Birds of the West Indies. Princeton Field Guides, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 2003 Fred J. Alsop III. Birds of Florida. Smithsonian Handbooks, Dorling Kindersley, NewYork, 2002.