| Athene | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Little owl,Athene noctua | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Strigidae |
| Genus: | Athene F. Boie, 1822 |
| Type species | |
| Strix noctua Scopoli, 1769 | |
| Species | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Athene is agenus ofowls, containing nine livingspecies, depending on classification. These birds are small, with brown and white speckles, yellow eyes, and white eyebrows. This genus is found on all continents except forAustralia,Antarctica, andSub-Saharan Africa. Anevolutionary radiation of four species (formerly thought to be in the genusNinox) is also present in theSolomon Islands.
The genusAthene was introduced by the German zoologistFriedrich Boie in 1822.[1] Thetype species was designated as thelittle owl (Athene noctua) by the English zoologistGeorge Robert Gray in 1841.[2][3] The genus name is from the little owl which wasclosely associated with the Greek goddessAthena, and often depicted with her. Her original role as a goddess of the night might explain the link to an owl.[4]
The genus contains the following nine species.[5]
| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | Athene noctua | Little owl | Europe, Asia east to Korea and North Africa |
 | Athene brama | Spotted owlet | tropical Asia from mainland India to Southeast Asia |
 | Athene cunicularia | Burrowing owl | North and South America |
%2c_Madagascar.jpg) | Athene superciliaris | White-browed owl | Madagascar |
 | Athene blewitti | Forest owlet | central India |
 | Athene jacquinoti | West Solomons owl | western Solomon Islands |
| Athene granti[6] | Guadalcanal owl | Guadalcanal Island, Solomon Islands | |
| Athene malaitae[6] | Malaita owl | Malaita Island, Solomon Islands | |
| Athene roseoaxillaris[6] | Makira owl | Bauro and Makira Islands, Solomon Islands |
The forest owlet was formerly placed in the monotypic genusHeteroglaux, and the Solomon Islands radiation was formerly placed in the genusNinox with the other owls referred to as "boobooks" until taxonomic studies found them to group inAthene.
A number of mainlyisland representatives of this genus are only known fromfossil orsubfossil remains:
The Cretan owl was a flightless or near-flightless form that was more than 50 cm (almost 2 ft) tall. It wentextinct soon after the island of Crete became inhabited by humans.
Late Miocene (about 11 mya) fossil remains fromRudabánya (NEHungary) have been tentatively assigned to this genus.[7] Considering the known fossil range ofAthene and the misassignments of many Miocene strigids from Europe, it may be abasal member of the present genus or not belong here at all. The supposed species"Athene" murivora was the name given to subfossil bones of maleRodrigues scops owls.
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