RARE SPECIES STATUS The Stygian Owl Asio st#ius noctipetens) In the Dominican Republic A very rare, difficult-to-findendemic race is, for a varietyof reasons,a vulnerablebird Annabelle Stockton Dod HESTYGIAN OWL was known on the from an adultmale securedby Dr. W. L. islandof Quisqueyalong beforeCo- Abbott near Constanza at an elevation of lumbus discovered the New World. A about 1200 meters, Sept. 23, 1916. carvedwooden figure of a bird with ear Kaempfercollected a secondbird from tufts found in a cave (Fig. 1), and an the swampyforests at the mouth of the Indian drawing on a cave wall (Fig. 2), Rio Juna, which Hartert said is an adult indicatethat it couldhave been an impor- female, taken Nov. 18, 1922. Ciferre se- tantpart of an ancientreligious ritual or curedskins at MocaJan. 1, 1927and July thatit wasa familiarfigure in the cavesin 6, 1929." (Ibid.) which the Indianssought refuge. It is the author'sopinion that the status Apparentlythis bird was known to of the StygianOwl hasnot changedsince Vieillot who did some scientific studies the bulletinwas issued.I know of only 3 in Haiti in 1807 (Bull. 155 Smithsonian jos, nearPuerto Escondido in April, 1976 Institution,1931 pp. 245-247). He used (pers.comm.). And as a resultof public- the name "Bubo clamator" and said that ity providedby the author, a specimen, the inhabitants knew of an owl that was badlymounted and with no data whatso- called the "Houhou." everwas broughtto the Museo Nacional Asio stygius is about 44 cm (15-17 de HistoriaNatural during the last week inches)in length. It is a very dark brown of April, 1977.The specimenhad recent- "1ong-eared" owl, with a dark facial ly beentaken in an old, abandonedcacao disk, the upperpartsmottled with buffy, plantationclose to the mouthof the Rio heavilystreaked and barredwith black or Juna. With the arrival of the mounted darkbrown, becoming paler on the lower bird.we knewfor certainthat the Stygian abdomen. The ear tufts or "horns" are Owl still existed on the island. darkbrown. The legsand toes are leath- ered(Peterson & Chalif, in A field guide SIGHTINGIN APRIL, 1978, resulting to Mexicanbirds, 1973, say"feet naked, in a completeset of vocal record- eyesyellow.") The headis illustratedon ings and some unsatisfactoryphoto- Plate 16. graphs,was the culmination of 8 yearsof intensivework on the partof GeorgeB. HEHISPANIOLAN RACEof the Stygian Reynard,Donald D. Dod and the author. Owl, (Asio stygiusnoctipetens), is We had some interestingadventures; oneof sixsubspecies of thisforest-dwell- somewere discouraging and disappoint- ing species,whose range includes Mexi- ing; otherswere frightening;some were co throughNicaragua (two races),Cuba confirmedsightings and one collected fun. We sleptin caves,hiked for miles andthe Isle of Pines, with a possiblydis- specimenbetween the yearsof 1929 and andsuffered many insect bites. We swel- junctpopulation in Brazil. Paraguayand 1977. They are as follows: George B. tered in the lowlands and shivered in the Argentina.It is, in turn, oneof six mem- Reynardand the authorsaw one at the frostynights up in the mountains.We bersof the genusAsio, which includes mouth of a cave located close to En- sawsome beautiful country and became our Long-earedand Short-earedowls, sancheAlma Rosa,at the easternedge of acquaintedwith many campesinos.who two owls from Africa and one from Santo Domingo in November, 1970. were interestedin our investigations. Madagascar. JohnTerborgh's group of studentsfrom They gaveus muchreliable and valuable Asiostygius noctipetens Riley is listed PrincetonUniversity reported one near information. by Alexander Wetmore in the Bulletin Jarabacoain a pineforest during the first Thisowl hasmany vernacular names: 155 (Ibid.) as a rare residentof the Domi- week of February.1973 (pers. comm.). Cu-chi, Ciguapa, Hu-hu, and La Le- nican Republic. I quote: "Little is at Jim and BethWiley, ornithologistsfrom chuzaOrejita. In Englishthe bird is often presentknown of thisowl, first described Puerto Rico, flushed one in Los Naran- called the Devil Owl. 266 AmericanBirds, May-June 1983 One importantbit of informationeven- tually led us to discover the bird. We learned from the inhabitants in Los Hai- tises that the Stygian Owl is generally silent,giving only one loud "Hu" once in a while, emitted sometime about mid- night.However during the breedingsea- son,apparently during the monthsof No- vember, February and April, the male calls with low pitched "hoos" and the female answers, with higher pitched "whistlesor screams,"and they respond antiphonallyat shortintervals. We heard the male call several times before we were lucky enoughto record the anti- phonalperformance. We set up our campsin many places: Constanza,Jarabacoa, Bayajibe, Monte Plata, Pilanc6n, Boca de Yuna, several sites between Sabana de la Mar and Miches, Hoyoncito and Arroy6n. We kept nocturnal vigilance, alternating have contributedalso, to their demise.) sportsmenconsider hunting the best of watches,from early eveninguntil dawn. Althoughwe have no proof, it is easyto pastimes.A bird as big as the Stygian Finally in April, 1978, at Pumos6n,in a believe that these small mammals, that Owl doesn'thave a chanceif huntingis virgin forest,three hours' walk from the no longerexist, were an importantpart of not controlled. end of the road, we succeededin obtain- theowl's foodsupply. Loss of bothhabi- The owl is very vulnerable.Its habitof ing the photographsand recordings (Fig. tat and the sourceof food certainlymust shrinkingdown and making itself as 3). (Record:Bird Songsin the Domini- have caused a notable decline in the num- smallas possible and then hiding close to can Republic/Cantosde Aves en la Re- bersof the Stygian Owl. the trunkof a tree insteadof flying when pfblica Dominican.George B. Reynard discovered,makes it an easymark for a with the assistance of Donald D. and An- sling-shot,a gunor evena thrownstone. nabelleDod. Publishedby Cornell Uni- Because of the remoteness and inac- versity,Laboratory of Ornithology,Oc- cessibilityof the nationalparks that are tober, 1981.) found in the Cordillera Central, we have A youth from Hoyoncitoshowed me notbeen able to ascertainthe presenceof anold nestin a canapalm (Sabalumbra- theStygian Owl in thoseareas. However, culifera) that probablywas that of the it is verygratifying to knowthat the terri- StygianOwl. It was largelycomposed of tory of two recently-creatednational grasses,placed loosely together, about parksextend into areaswhere we know 15-20 feet from the ground. He told me there are small populationsof this rare therehad been 2 nestlings. bird. It has been seen in a cave in the Parquedel Este, andheard in the interior of the Parquede Los Haitises,in an area LTItOUGItWEWERE not able to make knownas Monte Bonito. With the protec- a biologicalstudy of the Stygian tionoffered by the parkssystem, and edu- Owl, we have discovered some reasons Fear of the bird is another reason for its cation throughtheir programs,the bird for itsscarcity. This rare bird seemsto be scarcity.The StygianOwl is associated will now have a better chance to increase known in the DominicanRepublic only with the devil because of its ear tufts. It is in numbers.But until its populationsin- wherevirgin forests still exist. All recent consideredto have supernaturalpowers. crease,Asio stygiusmust be considered sightingshave occurredin old forests, One belief is that it can transform itself one of our rarest and most endangered sometimes near caves but never near from a bird into a witch; as a witch it is species. housesor in secondgrowth trees. We believedto suckthe bloodof unbaptized also learned that it is better known in the children. As a result of such supersti- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS northeasternpart of the islandwhere the tions, the owl is consideredan enemy-- karst limestone hills limit the destruction one to be feared and eliminated if at all of the forests. possible. I WISHDod forTOTHANK his helpfulmyhusband and constructiveDonaldD. Sincethe time when the first Spanish Additionallyhunting was a very popu- criticismin the preparationof thispaper. colonists arrived on the island in 1493 lar sportin Hispanioladuring colonial I also wish to thank Jose Alberto Otten- there has been a continuous destruction times. and some of that old culture sur- walder, zoologistat the Museo Nacional of the forests.This may havecontributed vives today. Every boy who is big de Historia Natural de Santo Domingo, to the extirpationof severalsmall mam- enoughto walk has a sling-shot,and the RepfblicaDominicana. mals (Jose Alberto Ottenwalder, pers. youthwho can affordit hasa shotgunor --Apartado 1053, comm.).(The later introductionof the de- an air rifle. Often military personneluse Santo Domingo, structive,carnivorous mongoose could birdsas targets, to improvetheir aim, and Dominican Republic. Vol. 37, Number3 267 .