Desert owl
Strix hadorami Kirwan, Schweizer & Copete, 2015
The desert owl (Strix hadorami) is a species in the family Strigidae, order Strigiformes. Recorded adults weigh about 219 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
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Quick facts about the desert owl
- Weight
- 219 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Carnivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- rockysrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Lifestyle
- Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the desert owl live?
Not recorded
What is the desert owl?
The desert owl or desert tawny owl (Strix hadorami), formerly known as Hume's owl, is a species of owl. It is closely related to the more widespread tawny owl and to the range-restricted Omani owl.
This species is a part of the family Strigidae, commonly known as typical owls, which contains most species of owl. The other owl family is the barn owls, Tytonidae.
The desert owl breeds in Israel, northeast Egypt, Jordan, and the Arabian Peninsula. Its habitat includes desert, semi-desert, rocky ravines, and palm groves. It nests in crevices and holes in cliffs. Its diet consists of voles, mice and large insects.
This is a medium-sized earless owl, smaller than the tawny owl at 29–33 cm in length. It is largely nocturnal and sedentary. Its stocky body and round head recall a small tawny owl, but it is paler, less streaked, particularly on the underparts, and has yellow eyes.
The call of the desert owl is a hoooo-ho-ho-ho-ho, described as similar in rhythm to Eurasian collared dove. The call of females is deeper and less distinct than the call of males.
From the Wikipedia article “Desert owl” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Desert_owl&oldid=1314454649), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the desert owl endangered?
The desert owl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the desert owl classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderStrigiformes
- familyStrigidae
- genusStrix
- SpeciesStrix hadorami Kirwan, Schweizer & Copete, 2015
Other names and names in other languages (38)
- Desert tawny owlEnglish
- Hume's owlEnglish
- Hume's tawny owlEnglish
- Hume's wood owlEnglish
- بوم هيومArabic
- بومة سمراء صحراويةArabic
- gamarús del desertCatalan
- puštík pouštníCzech
- ØrkennatugleDanish
- FahlkauzGerman
- WüstenfahlkauzGerman
- dezerta strigoEsperanto
- Cárabo árabeSpanish
- Búho del DesiertoSpanish
- aavikkopöllöFinnish
- Chouette de ButlerFrench
- Chouette de HadoramFrench
- Ulchabhán hiúmIrish
- לילית מדברHebrew
- pustinjska sovaCroatian
- Allocco del desertoItalian
- サバクフクロウJapanese
- ウスイロモリフクロウJapanese
- Palestijnse BosuilDutch
- klippeugleNorwegian
- puszczyk pustynnyPolish
- coruja-do-desertoPortuguese
- Coruja-da-palestinaPortuguese
- Бледная неясытьRussian
- Пустынная неясытьRussian
- sova púšťováSlovak
- Пустињска шумска соваSerbian
- Pustinjska šumska sovaSerbian
- västlig klippugglaSwedish
- Çöl BaykuşuTurkish
- сова блідаUkrainian
- 阿曼林鴞Chinese
- 沙漠灰林鸮Chinese
Relatives of the desert owl
Other species in the same genus Strix.
Tawny owl
Strix aluco
Ural owl
Strix uralensis
Great grey owl
Strix nebulosa
Brown wood owl
Strix leptogrammica
Barred owl
Strix varia
Omani owl
Strix butleri
CompareDesert owl vs Tawny owlDesert owl vs Ural owlDesert owl vs Great grey owlDesert owl vs Brown wood owl
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the desert owl?
An adult desert owl weighs 219 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the desert owl endangered?
The desert owl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
What kind of animal is the desert owl?
The desert owl (Strix hadorami) belongs to the family Strigidae in the order Strigiformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Desert owl (Strix hadorami). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/desert-owl
“Desert owl (Strix hadorami).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/desert-owl.
@misc{desert_owl_2026,
title = {Desert owl (Strix hadorami)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/desert-owl},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}