Athene (bird)

Athene is a genus of owls, containing nine living species, 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 for Australia, Antarctica, and Sub-Saharan Africa. An evolutionary radiation of four species is also present in the Solomon Islands.

Taxonomy and list of species

The genus Athene was introduced by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie in 1822. The type species was designated as the little owl by the English zoologist George Robert Gray in 1841. The genus name is from the little owl which was closely associated with the Greek goddess Athena, and often depicted with her. Her original role as a goddess of the night might explain the link to an owl.
The genus contains the following nine species.

Image	Scientific name	Common name	Distribution
	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
	Athene superciliaris	White-browed owl	Madagascar
	Athene blewitti	Forest owlet	central India
	Athene jacquinoti	West Solomons owl	western Solomon Islands
	Athene granti	Guadalcanal owl	Guadalcanal Island, Solomon Islands
	Athene malaitae	Malaita owl	Malaita Island, Solomon Islands
	Athene roseoaxillaris	Makira owl	Bauro and Makira Islands, Solomon Islands

The forest owlet was formerly placed in the monotypic genus Heteroglaux, and the Solomon Islands radiation was formerly placed in the genus Ninox with the other owls referred to as "boobooks" until taxonomic studies found them to group in Athene.

Extinct species and subspecies

A number of mainly island representatives of this genus are only known from fossil or subfossil remains:

Athene megalopeza —sometimes placed in Speotyto
Athene veta
Athene angelis
Athene trinacriae
Athene cf. cunicularia —sometimes placed in Speotyto
Athene cf. cunicularia —sometimes placed in Speotyto
Athene cf. cunicularia —sometimes placed in Speotyto
Athene cf. cunicularia —sometimes placed in Speotyto
Athene cf. cunicularia —sometimes placed in Speotyto
Cretan owl

The Cretan owl was a flightless or near-flightless form that was more than 50 cm tall. It went extinct soon after the island of Crete became inhabited by humans.
Late Miocene fossil remains from Rudabánya have been tentatively assigned to this genus. Considering the known fossil range of Athene and the misassignments of many Miocene strigids from Europe, it may be a basal member of the present genus or not belong here at all. The supposed species "Athene" murivora was the name given to subfossil bones of male Rodrigues scops owls.

* Antiguan burrowing owl —extinct
* Guadeloupe burrowing owl —extinct