A new genus for the extinct Late Pleistocene owl Strix brea Howard (Aves: Strigiformes) from Rancho La Brea, California. In Proceedings of the VII International Meeting of the Society of Avian Paleontology and Evolution, ed. W.E. Boles and T.H. W
Abstract
We review all of the fossil specimens from the upper Pleistocene Rancho La Brea asphalt deposits previously referred to the extinct owl Strix brea, and all newly identified specimens referable to that species. This review and emended description of Strix brea have provided a clearer picture of this species, and we find that it is more appropriately placed in a new genus, Oraristrix, whose affinities remain unclear. We provide a variety of morphometric data and more detailed osteological descriptions of this extinct owl based on 138 specimens from the Rancho La Brea collections in the George C. Page Museum that represent a minimum of 23 individuals. An additional nine specimens of this extinct species were confirmed in collections from the upper Pleistocene asphalt deposits of Carpinteria, California. Oraristrix brea is interpreted as being more terrestrial in habits than forest owls because, compared to available species of the genera Bubo and Strix, it had longer legs relative to its wingspan.
