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A total of 13 owl species, 1 Tytonidae and 12 Strigidae, have been recorded in French Guiana. Twelve of them are resident species, and one, the short-eared owl Asio flammeus, is a rare vagrant, probably from north-western South America. Two species have been recorded for the first time in recent years: the Roraiman (vermiculated) screech owl Megascops guatemalae roraimae probably remained undetected before due to its rarity and to lack of knowledge of its voice. On the contrary, the burrowing owl Athene cunicularia is a recent addition to the French Guianan avifauna, benefiting from local deforestation for agricultural projects. Seven owl species are forest species, and four of them are restricted to primary or old contiguous secondary forest. The remaining six species live in semiopen to open habitats and forest edges. At present, French Guianan owl populations do not seem at risk, although destruction of coastal natural habitats may constitute a danger in future. For that reason and because of the small size of populations, three species are listed as Vulnerable and one as Endangered at the national level. Our knowledge of the distribution and biology of many owl species is greatly deficient and needs urgent research for conservation purposes. |
