| Lesser Sooty Owl | |
| |
| Names | |
| Common Name: | Lesser Sooty Owl |
| Scientific Name: | Tyto multipunctata |
| Appearance | |
| Black or dark grey coloured (often speckled with white) with dark grey faces, heart shaped faces, grey, white speckled chests, and dark black eyes. | |
| Behavior | |
| Native to the Forest Kingdom of Tyto. Often inhabit trees. | |
Lesser Sooty Owls, also known as Tyto mulitpunctata, are a species of Sooty Owl. They have heart-shaped faces and are distinctively darker then other owls of the Tyto species. The Lesser Sooty is sometimes called the Silver Owl. It was once considered a subspecies of the Greater Sooty Owl.
To the Pure Ones, Lesser Sooty Owls are the most impure Tytos of all, and are usually given offensive names, such as 'Ashy-Face', or 'Smutty'.
Information[]
Description[]
The facial disc is white on the edges, shading into sooty-blackish near the eyes. The eyes are black, and the beak is greyish-brown. The body is sooty-grey and dotted silvery-white. It averages 12-15 in (31-38 cm) in length, and 15-19 oz (430-540 g). The female is larger, heavier, and more aggressive than the male.
While both are called Sooty Owls, the Lesser Sooty Owl differentiates from the closely related Greater Sooty Owl, Tyto tenebricosa, by being smaller, having heavier spotting, and a higher-pitched call. This led to it being considered its own species.
Ecology[]
They live in rainforests and wet eucalyptus forests with tall trees and hollow trunks. Their cry is a piercing downscale "falling-bomb" whistle, similar to the Greater Sooty, but less powerful. The female's call is longer. They also emit trills, which are couple a long, loud screech. Their screams are able to pierce the dense vegetation of the rainforest.
They are found in a limited range of northeastern Australia. It hides in dense foliage and crevices.
In universe, they are known to live in the Forest Kingdom of Tyto.
Diet[]
The Lesser Sooty is a generalist predator, eating a variety of prey. Their diet consists mainly of small mammals like bandicoots and rats, occasionally sugar gliders and bats, as well as small birds and insects. They hunt from low perches in clearings and near roads, but also in forests. They take prey on the ground.
Reproduction[]
Breeding season depends on the rain, but is usually from March to May. 1-2 eggs are laid, only one clutch a year, incubation is 5-6 weeks, fledging is at about 2-3 months, and the young owls leave after 6-8 months. Lesser Sooty Owls are known to be very territorial, and use their loud whistles to ward off intruders.
Significant Lesser Sooty Owls[]
History[]
The Rescue[]
Silver, along with his friend Nut Beam, was rescued from the The Great Downing. He later flew with the Weather Interpretation Chaw
The Burning[]
Silver -- along with Nut Beam and Percy -- was sent on a mission to set up Owlipoppen to distract the Pure Ones before the Battle of Fire and Ice. Later, he sustained injuries, but was taken to be healed by a Glauxspeed unit.
The Hatchling[]
Smutty is a Lesser Sooty Owl and a Pure One, but is being held prisoner by the Pure Ones simply for showing fear during the battle of the burning. Lesser Sooties are noted to be given the worst of punishments.
The War of the Ember[]
Silver was made part of the Joss Corps/Jossian Messengers, along with Nut Beam, Martin, Primrose, and Clover. A message was relayed from him to Coryn, letting him know that the Ember of Hoole had been retrieved from the Palace of Mists.
Trivia[]
The species name mulitpunctata is Latin for "many spots".
Gallery[]
