The red owl is an owl in the barn owl family Tytonidae. It is also known as the Madagascar red owl, Madagascar grass-owl, Soumagne's owl or lesser grass-owl. It is a rare resident of Madagascar that was virtually unknown from its discovery in 1876 to its rediscovery by researchers from the World Wide Fund for Nature in 1993. It is currently listed as vulnerable because of habitat loss, but recent studies have determined it may have a wider range than first believed, though further research in distribution and ecology is required. It has possibly been overlooked because of its close resemblance to the closely related barn owl.
Region
Eastern and northern Madagascar
Typical Environment
Found mainly in humid evergreen and subhumid forests, including primary forest and well-vegetated secondary growth. It frequents forest edges, ravines, stream corridors, and sometimes degraded mosaic landscapes where prey remains abundant. Roosts are typically in large tree cavities, dense foliage, or sheltered ledges. It is secretive and mostly detected by voice at night.
Altitude Range
0–2000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called Soumagne’s owl or Madagascar red owl, this elusive Tytonid was rediscovered in 1993 after more than a century of near-obscurity. It closely resembles the barn owl but is richer rufous in tone and confined to Madagascar’s humid forests. Its scarcity is linked to habitat loss, though it may be more widespread than once believed.
Temperament
solitary and secretive
Flight Pattern
silent, buoyant flight with deep, steady wingbeats
Social Behavior
Primarily solitary outside the breeding season and strongly tied to suitable forest cover. Likely monogamous, nesting in tree cavities, crevices, or sheltered sites with minimal disturbance. Pairs defend a territory around nest and preferred hunting grounds.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations include harsh, rasping screeches typical of Tyto owls and a series of thin, ringing whistles. Calls are most frequent at night, often given from concealed perches within forest ravines or edges.
Plumage
Rich rufous to orange upperparts with fine darker mottling; underparts buffy-orange with light spotting. Facial disc is pale to warm buff and heart-shaped, bordered subtly. Flight feathers are pale with darker bars, giving a soft, silky appearance in flight.
Diet
Feeds mainly on small mammals such as endemic rodents and tenrecs, and will also take small birds, reptiles, and large insects when available. Hunts with low, quiet quartering flights along edges and over clearings. Prey is located primarily by sound and swallowed whole or torn into manageable pieces.
Preferred Environment
Hunts along forest margins, over streams, and in gaps or secondary growth where prey is active. Uses perches within ravines and dense vegetation to launch short foraging sorties.
