Desert Tawny Owl (Strix hadorami) : New Species of Bird Discovered in Palestine

1

The Desert Tawny Owl (Strix hadorami Kirwan, Schweizer and Copete, 2015) : New Species of Bird Discovered in Palestine ‫ إكتشاف نوع جديد من الطيور في فلسطين‬: )‫البومة السمراء الصحراوية (ستريكس هادورامي‬

By : Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher KhalafSakerfalke von Jaffa

Desert Tawny Owl (Strix hadorami Kirwan, Schweizer and Copete, 2015). Image credit: © Rony Lybanah. http://cfzwatcheroftheskies.blogspot.ae/2015/01/desert-tawny-owl-new-species-ofbird.html

A group of ornithologists led by Dr. Manuel Schweizer from the Natural History Museum of Bern in Switzerland has described a new cryptic species of owl that inhabits the desert areas of Palestine, Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Oman and Yemen (Prostak, 2015).

The newly-discovered species, named the Desert Tawny Owl, belongs to the earless owl genus, Strix (Prostak, 2015).

Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 142 – October 2016

2

It is a medium-sized owl, 30 to 33 centimeters long, and weighing 140 to 220 grams. It resembles the Hume’s Owl (Strix butleri) and the Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) in plumage pattern and proportions (Prostak, 2015).

The species’ scientific name, Strix hadorami, honors Israeli ornithologist and writer Hadoram Shirihai (Prostak, 2015).

“It is a special pleasure to name this bird for Hadoram Shirihai, a much-valued colleague and collaborator for 20 years,” Dr. Schweizer and his colleagues Guy M. Kirwan and José Luis Copete wrote in a paper entitled "Multiple lines of evidence confirm that Hume's owl Strix butleri is two species, with description of an unnamed species" which was published in the journal “Zootaxa” (Prostak, 2015).

“Although Hadoram’s ornithological interests are staggeringly wide-ranging, his name is arguably particularly synonymous with this wonderful owl of wild places in the Middle East. He discovered, when still a young boy, a live but poisoned specimen (of the Desert Tawny Owl) in En Gedi, which became the first individual to be held in captivity and is now a skeleton in the Tel Aviv University Museum” (Prostak, 2015).

In 1878, Allan Octavian Hume, a colonial administrator in British India and an avid ornithologist, was given an owl from Ormara, which is now part of Pakistan (Russon, 2015).

This bird, a member of the earless owl genus Strix, was named Hume's owl (Strix butleri) and today resides in the Natural History Museum in Tring, Hertfordshire.

Hume's owl is what is known as a "type specimen", and it was thought that the other birds found in the Middle East came from the same breed (Russon, 2015).

"When we sequenced three specimens of the owl – one from Palestine, one from Saudi Arabia and Hume's type specimen from the 1880s, we realised that Hume's specimen was completely different from the Palestinian and Saudi Arabian birds by almost 10%," Guy Kirwan, an associate researcher at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and the National Museum in Rio De Janeiro, who coauthored the paper, told the press (Russon, 2015).

Kirwan said that ornithologists were starting to suspect that there might be different sub-types in the Hume's owl breed, and one big clue was a study conducted by researchers from the Netherlands in 2012, where vocal recordings were made of desert owls in Oman (Russon, 2015).

Unfortunately the researchers were not able to obtain a specimen in 2012, but their vocal recordings showed that there was a clear difference between the bird song and plumage of owls from Palestine and Saudi Arabia, and the bird song of the Omani owls (Russon, 2015).

Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 142 – October 2016

3

Desert Tawny Owl (Strix hadorami) in the Jerusalem (Judean) Desert of Palestine. Image credit: © Thomas Krumenacker, www.krumenacker.de & http://www.sci-news.com/biology/sciencedesert-tawny-owl-strix-hadorami-new-species-bird-02432.html

Kirwan, researcher José Luis Copete and Dr. Manuel Schweizer from the Natural History Museum of Bern in Switzerland analysed the descriptions of the Omani owl, and while they have no specimen to examine, they believe that the Omani owl is very likely the same as the 130-year-old specimen in Tring (Russon, 2015).

If they are correct, then this would mean that Hume's owl possibly didn't come from Pakistan at all. "There has always been a lot of doubt about where this specimen had come from. People were doubtful about it, as no one ever found the Hume's owl specimen in Pakistan ever again," said Kirwan (Russon, 2015).

There has also been a new development – Iranian ornithologists have revealed on Facebook that they have succeeded in photographing a Hume's owl in eastern Iran, which shares the exact same plumage characteristics as the Oman owl.

"That bird appears to be identical to two or three central characteristics found in the owl that occurs in Oman or in the type specimen, so this proves that the birds on either side of the Persian Gulf are likely to be the same bird," said Kirwan (Russon, 2015).

Next, ornithologists will need to compare vocal recordings from the owl in Iran, to see if its birdsong matches that of the desert tawny owl in Palestine, or whether the birdsong matches the vocal recording of the Omani owl (Russon, 2015).

Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 142 – October 2016

4

The Desert Tawny Owl (Strix hadorami) lives in the Eastern Desert of Egypt, from Wadi Rabdeit, close to the border with Sudan, north to Mons Porphyrites, northwest of the port of Hurghada, as well as the Sinai Desert, e.g. around St Katherine’s Monastery, through southern and eastern Palestine, in the Naqab (Negev) and Jerusalem (Judean) Deserts, to Jordan, where apparently confined to the eastern fringe of the Jordan Valley and the Rum Desert in the southeast of the country, thence south across western and, more locally, northern, central and northeastern Saudi Arabia, apparently throughout Yemen, and east to southwest Omani Dhofar (Prostak, 2015).

“Strix hadorami occurs in rocky desert areas with ravines, cliffs and small caves, particularly in deep wadis with crevices for nesting and roosting and some vegetation. It is most frequent in limestone cliffs, but also occurs in granitic and basaltic regions of Saudi Arabia, and sandstone regions of Jordan,” the scientists wrote (Prostak, 2015).

Analysis of pellets in Palestine reveals that the diet of the bird mostly comprises rodents and small insectivores (gerbils, jirds, mice and shrews), geckos, some passerine birds, and arthropods such as scorpions, grasshoppers and beetles (Prostak, 2015).

Owl specimens. https://twitter.com/IBIS_journal/status/553204501918650370/photo/1 Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 142 – October 2016

5

The breeding season is March-August in Palestine, but earlier in southern Oman, where pairs generally cease vocalizing as early as March.

“Egg-laying in Arabia is estimated to occur from early February to late April,” the scientists wrote (Prostak, 2015).

“Nesting data are scant: just one pair has been studied in detail in Palestine, a total of five eggs was laid between 6 and 14 May, with an incubation period of 34–39 days; eggs hatched on 10-21 June and the fledging period was 30–40 days; another clutch, in eastern Saudi Arabia, numbered three fresh eggs on 25 February” (Prostak, 2015).

The Arabian population has been estimated at about 3,000 pairs and in Palestine there were about 200 pairs in the late 1980s (Prostak, 2015).

Recent surveys in Palestine suggest a decline, with some former territories occupied now by the Pharaoh Eagle-Owl (Bubo ascalaphus) (Prostak, 2015).

The range of the Desert Tawny Owl. http://novataxa.blogspot.ae/2015/01/strix-hadorami.html

Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 142 – October 2016

6

References and Internet websites Aharoni, J. (1931). Drei neue Vögel für Palastina und Syrien. Ornithologische Monatsberichte, 39 (6), 171–173.

Alström, P., Mild, K. & Zetterström, D. (2003). Pipits and Wagtails of Europe, Asia and North America. Christopher Helm, London, 496 pp.

Andrews, I.J. (1995). The Birds of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Privately published, Musselburgh, Scotland, 185 pp.

Baha el Din, S. & Baha el Din, M. (2001). Status and distribution of Hume’s (Tawny) Owl Strix butleri in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. Bulletin of the African Bird Club, 8 (1), 18–20.

Bandelt, H.J., Forster, P. & Rohl, A. (1999). Median-joining networks for inferring intraspecific phylogenies. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 16 (1), 37–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a026036 Baur, H. & Leuenberger, C. (2011). Analysis of ratios in multivariate morphometry. Systematic Biology, 60 (6), 813–825. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/syr061 Bensasson, D., Zhang, D.X., Hartl, D.L. & Hewitt, G.M. (2001). Mitochondrial pseudogenes: evolution’s misplaced witnesses. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 16 (6), 314–321. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0169-5347(01)02151-6 Beolens, B. & Watkins, M. (2006). Whose Bird? Men and Women Commemorated in the Common Names of Birds. Christopher Helm, London, 400 pp.

Butler, E.A. (1877). Astola, a summer cruise in the Gulf of Oman. Stray Feathers, 5, 283–304.

Cheke, R.A. & Mann, C.F. (2008). Family Nectariniidae (sunbirds). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Christie, D.A. (Eds.), Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 13.

Penduline-tits to Shrikes. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, pp. 196–320.

Clouet, M. (2011). Sur l’avifaune des massifs du désert oriental Égyptien. Alauda, 79 (3), 237–240.

Dardona, Ayman Wadi’ Youssef (M.Sc. Limnology) and Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf-von Jaffa (Dr.Sc. Zoology) (2015). Studying Aquatic Birds in the area between the Gaza Fishermen Port and Wadi Gaza Estuary, Gaza Strip, Palestine. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288. Number 124, April 2015. pp. 22-39. Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://birds-of-palestine.webs.com/gaza-aquatic-birds Dickinson, E.C. & Remsen, J.V. (Eds.) (2013). The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. Vol. 1. Fourth Edition. Aves Press, Eastbourne, 461 pp.

Drummond, A.J., Ashton, B., Buxton, S., Cheung, M., Cooper, A., Duran, C., Field, M., Heled, J., Kearse, M., Markowitz, S., Moir, R., Stones-Havas, S., Sturrock, S., Thierer, T. & Wilson, A. (2013). Geneious v5.4. Available from: http:// www.geneious.com/ (accessed 19 November 2014).

Eijk, P. van (2013). Presumed second locality for Omani Owl. Dutch Birding, 35 Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 142 – October 2016

7

(6), 387–388.

Eriksen, J. & Victor, R. (2013). Oman Bird List: The Official List of the Birds of the Sultanate of Oman. Seventh Edition. Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, 288 pp.

Fregin, S., Haase, M., Olsson, U. & Alstrom, P. (2012). Pitfalls in comparisons of genetic distances: a case study of the avian family Acrocephalidae. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 62, 319–328. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2011.10.003 Gallagher, M. & Woodcock, M.W. (1980). The Birds of Oman. Quartet Books, London, 310 pp.

Goodman, S.M. & Sabry, H. (1984). A specimen record of Hume’s Tawny Owl Strix butleri from Egypt. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club, 104 (3), 79– 84.

Heidrich, P. & Wink, M. (1994). Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) and Hume’s Tawny Owl (Strix butleri) are distinct species: evidence from nucleotide sequences of the cytochrome b gene. Zeitschrift für Naturforschung, 49, 230–234.

Hüe, F. & Etchécopar, R.-D. (1970). Les Oiseaux du Proche et du Moyen Orient.

N. Boubée & Cie, Paris, 948 pp.

Hume, A.O. (1878). Asio butleri, sp. nov.? Stray Feathers, 7, 316–318.

Jennings, M.C. (Ed.) (2010). Atlas of the breeding birds of Arabia. Fauna of Arabia, vol. 25. King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology & Fauna of Arabia, Riyadh & Frankfurt, 751 pp.

Jennings, M. (2014). A new species of owl from Oman. The Phoenix, 30, 1–2.

Katoh, K., Misawa, K., Kuma, K. & Miyata, T. (2002). MAFFT: a novel method for rapid multiple sequence alignment based on fast Fourier transform. Nucleic Acids Research, 30 (14), 3059–3066. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkf436 Khalaf, Nora Norman Ali Bassam (Fotografin, 11 Jahre) (28 Juni 2010). Foto: Junger Strauß, Vogel und Tier Markt, Sharjah, Vereinigte Arabische Emirate.

Fotocommunity. www.fotocommunity.de/pc/pc/display/21915604 Khalaf, Norman Ali Bassam (1980). Tabie’t Al-Talawon fi Al-Haywanat (The Colouration of Animals). Al-Biology Bulletin. Number 1. January 1980, Safar 1401. Biological Society, Kuwait University, State of Kuwait. pp. 4-5. (in Arabic).

Khalaf, Norman Ali (1983). The Pine Bunting in Palestine. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288. First Year. Number 1. July 1983. pp. 10-13. Al Salimiah, State of Kuwait. (In Arabic). http://issuu.com/drnormanalibassamkhalaf/docs/the_pine_bunting_in_palestine_gazel/1 Khalaf, Norman Ali Bassam (1984). The Palestine Bulbul. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Second Year. Number 5. May 1984. pp. 19-20. Hanweiler, Saarland, Federal Republic of Germany. (in Arabic).

Khalaf, Norman Ali Bassam (1984-1985). The Weasel Project: Scientific Research on captive weasels (Mustela nivalis, Linnaeus 1766) in the Department of Zoology, University of Durham, Durham, England, during the Academic Year 1984-1985.

Supervisor: Dr. Nigel Dunstone. Unpublished scientific research and data & scientific diary. Research Notebook. pp. 1-52.

Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 142 – October 2016

8

Khalaf, Norman Ali Bassam (1985). The Arabian Ostrich. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Department of Zoology, University of Durham, Durham, United Kingdom. Volume 3. Number 6. April 1985. pp. 1-7. (in Arabic).

Khalaf, Norman Ali Bassam (1986). A List of the Birds of Palestine. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178-6288. Department of Zoology, University of Durham, Durham, United Kingdom. Number 8. Fourth Year.

January 1986 AD, Jamada Oula 1406 H. pp. 1-24. (In Arabic and English).

Khalaf, Norman Ali Bassam (1987). A Trip to Kuwait Zoo, State of Kuwait.

Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Rilchingen-Hanweiler, Federal Republic of Germany. Fifth Year, Number 13, Ramadan 1407 AH, April 1987 AD. pp. 1-5. (in Arabic).

Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali Bassam (1991). A Trip to Zoo Budapest, Hungary.

Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Bonn-Bad Godesberg, Federal Republic of Germany. Number 21, Ninth Year, January 1991. pp. 1-4.

Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali Bassam (1992). An Introduction to the Animal Life in Palestine. Gazelle. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Bonn-Bad Godesberg, Federal Republic of Germany. Number 30, Tenth Year, October 1992. pp. 1-7. (in Arabic).

Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali Bassam (1994). An Introduction to the Animal Life in Palestine. Shqae'q Al-Nouma'n (Anemone coronaria). A Quarterly Magazine Issued by the Program EAI (Education for Awareness and for Involvement).

Environmental Education / Children for Nature Protection. In Cooperation with Dept. of General and Higher Education. P.L.O., Palestine. Number 4. Huzairan (June) 1994. pp. 16-21. (in Arabic).

Khalaf, Norman Ali Bassam (2001). The Extinct and Endangered Animals in Palestine. In: Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin Home Page. Extinct and Endangered Animals and Reintroduction. http://gazelle.8m.net/photo3.html Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali (2004). Gazelle: Das Palästinensische Biologische Bulletin. Eine Wissenschaftliche Reise in Palästina, Arabien und Europa zwischen 1983 – 2004 / Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. A Scientific Journey in Palestine, Arabia and Europe between 1983 – 2004. ISBN 3-00-0141219. Erste Auflage, Juli 2004: 452 Seiten. Zweite erweiterte Auflage, August 2004: 460 Seiten. Norman Ali Khalaf, Bonn-Bad Godesberg, Germany. http://drnorman-ali-khalaf-books.webs.com/ Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali (2005). The Rafah Zoo in the Rafah Refugee Camp, Gaza Strip, Palestine : A Story of Destruction by the Israeli Occupation Army.

Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Number 46, Twenty-third Year, October 2005, Ramadan 1426. pp. 1-11. Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. (in Arabic).

Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali Bassam (2005). The Qalqilia Zoo and the Natural History Museum in the City of Qalqilia, West Bank, Occupied Palestine. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Number 47, Twenty-third Year, November 2005, Shawal 1426. pp. 1-10. Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. (in Arabic).

Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 142 – October 2016

9

Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali Bassam (Member of PALESTA) (2005). Palestinian Scientists and Technologists Abroad (PALESTA). Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Number 47, Twenty-third Year, November 2005, Shawal 1426. pp. 11-12. Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. (in Arabic).

Khalaf, Norman Ali (2005, 2006, 2007). Chapter 3: Geography, Flora and Fauna.

Pages 32-39. In: Palestine: A Guide. By Mariam Shahin, Photography by George Azar. Co-Author: Norman Ali Khalaf. Northampton, Massachusetts: Interlink Publishing Group, 2005, 2006. xi + 471 pages. Appendices to page 500. http://ipsnewsite.mysite4now.com/journals.aspx?id=7323&jid=1&href=fulltext Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (Gründer) (seit Juni 2007). Yahoo! Deutschland Group: Fauna Palaestina. http://de.groups.yahoo.com/group/Fauna_Palaestina/ Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (Gründer) (seit September 2007). Yahoo! Deutschland Group: Fauna Arabica. http://de.groups.yahoo.com/group/Fauna_Arabica/ Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2007). Haywanat Filistin ‫( حيوانات فلسطين‬The Animals of Palestine). Wikipedia, Al-Mawsu'a Al-Hurra (The Free Encyclopedia). Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. 2007. http://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AD%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86% D8%A7%D8% AA_%D9%81%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%86 Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2009). Flora and Fauna in Palestine. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Number 91, July 2009, Rajab 1430 AH. pp. 1-31. Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://florafauna-palestine.webs.com/ Khalaf-von Jaffa, Dr. Norman Ali Bassam (2009). Fauna Palaestina – Part One. A Zoological Journey in Palestine, Arabia and Europe between 1983 – 2006 / Fauna Palaestina – Teil Eins. Eine Zoologische Reise in Palästina, Arabien und Europa zwischen 1983 – 2006. ISBN 978-9948-03-865-8. Erste Auflage/First Edition, September 2009: 412 Seiten/Pages. Self Publisher: Dr. Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf-von Jaffa, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates & Rilchingen-Hanweiler, Bundesrepublik Deutschland. http://dr-norman-ali-khalafbooks.webs.com/faunapalaestinapart1.htm Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Zoologist, Ecologist and Geologist: The Scientific References (1980-2009). http://drnorman-ali-khalaf-references.webs.com/ Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2009). An ancient Arabian Ostrich (Struthio camelus syriacus) egg-shell from the Village of Qidfa, Emirate of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288. Twenty-seventh Year, Number 96, December 2009, Thu Al Hijja 1430 AH. pp. 1-25. Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://arabian-ostrich.webs.com/ Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2009). The Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 142 – October 2016

10

Red-Necked Ostrich (Struthio camelus camelus Linnaeus, 1758) at Dubai Zoo, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288. Twenty-seventh Year, Number 96, December 2009, Thu Al Hijja 1430 AH. pp. 26-28. Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://arabianostrich.webs.com/ostrichdubaizoo.htm Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (Photographer) (09 December 2009). Photo: Ancient Arabian Ostrich Egg Shell / Alte arabische Straußeneischale. Emirat Fujairah, V. A. Emirate. Fotocommunity. www.fotocommunity.de/pc/pc/mypics/1213259/display/22065236 Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (Photographer) (15 December 2009). Photo: Ancient Arabian Ostrich Egg Shell, Qidfa Village, Emirate of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. www.fotocommunity.de/pc/pc/mypics/1213259/display/21831255 Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (Fotograf) (04 August 2010). Foto: Nordafrikanische Strauß, Dubai Zoo, Dubai, Vereinigte Arabische Emirate. Fotocommunity. www.fotocommunity.de/pc/pc/mypics/1213259/display/21993963 Khalaf-von Jaffa, Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2010). Fauna Emiratus Part One. Zoological Studies in the United Arab Emirates between 2004 - 2009. / Fauna Emiratus – Teil Eins. Zoologische Studien in die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate zwischen 2004 - 2009. ISBN 978-9948-15-462-4. Erste Auflage/First Edition, November 2010: 350 Seiten / Pages. Self Publisher: Dr. Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf-von Jaffa, Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates & Rilchingen-Hanweiler, Bundesrepublik Deutschland. http://dr-norman-ali-khalaf-books.webs.com/faunaemiratuspart1.htm Khalaf-von Jaffa, Dr. Norman Ali Bassam (2012). Fauna Palaestina – Part Two. Zoological Studies in Palestine between 1983 – 2009 / Fauna Palaestina - Teil Zwei. Zoologische Studien in Palästina zwischen 1983 – 2009. ISBN 978-9948-16667-2. 1. Auflage / First Edition : July 2012, Shaaban 1433 H. 208 Seiten / Pages (Arabic Part 120 Pages and the English Part 88 Pages). Publisher: Dar Al Jundi Publishing House, Jerusalem, Palestine. http://dr-norman-ali-khalafbooks.webs.com/faunapalaestinapart2.htm Khalaf-von Jaffa, Dr. Norman Ali Bassam (2013). Fauna Palaestina – Part Three.

Zoological Studies in Palestine between 2005 – 2012 / Fauna Palaestina - Teil Drei.

Zoologische Studien in Palästina zwischen 2005 – 2012. ISBN 978-9950-383-35-7.

Erste Auflage / First Edition : July 2013, Shaaban 1434 H. 364 pages (English Part 350 Pages and the Arabic Part 14 Pages). Publisher: Dar Al Jundi Publishing House, Jerusalem, State of Palestine. http://dr-norman-ali-khalafbooks.webs.com/faunapalaestinapart3.htm Khalaf-von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Bassam (2014). Fauna Palaestina – Part Four. Zoological Studies in Palestine between 1983 – 2014 / Fauna Palaestina Teil Vier. Zoologische Studien in Palästina zwischen 1983 – 2014. ISBN 978-9950383-77-7. Erste Auflage / First Edition : July 2014, Ramadan 1435 H. pp. 456 Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 142 – October 2016

11

(English part 378 pages and Arabic part 78 pages). Publisher: Dar Al Jundi Publishing House, Al-Quds (Jerusalem), State of Palestine. http://fauna-palaestina-part-1.webs.com/faunapalaestina4.htm Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2014).

The Animals living inside and around the Sacred Mosque (Al-Masjid Al-Haram) in Makkah Al-Mukarramah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288. Number 116, August 2014, Shawal 1435 AH. pp. 1-23. Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://animals-ofmakkah.webs.com/ Khalaf-von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2015). Dr. Norman Ali Khalaf Award for Biodiversity in Palestine 2012 / 2013 : Essay and Photography Contest of the Palestine Sunbird (Cinnyris osea Bonaparte, 1856). Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288. Number 124, April 2015. pp. 121. Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://dr-norman-ali-khalafreferences.webs.com/drnormanakhalafaward.htm Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2015).

Plants and Animals unique to Palestine. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288. Number 125, May 2015. pp. 1-18. Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://flora-fauna-palestine-2.webs.com/ Khalaf-von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Bassam (2015). Fauna Palaestina – Part Five. Zoological Studies in Palestine between 1983 – 2016 / Fauna Palaestina - Teil Fünf. Zoologische Studien in Palästina zwischen 1983 – 2016. ISBN 978-9950-38392-0. Erste Auflage / First Edition : Summer 2015. Publisher: Dar Al Jundi Publishing House, Al-Quds (Jerusalem), State of Palestine (Under preparation). http://fauna-palaestina-books.webs.com/ Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2016). The First Palestinian Wildlife Photography Exhibition in the Gaza Strip in November 2014. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288. Number 138, June 2016. pp. 1-35. Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://drnorman-ali-khalaf-references.webs.com/gazawildlifephoto2014.htm Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2016).

The Presence of the Hoopoe (Upupa epops Linnaeus, 1758) in the Gardens of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288. Number 139, July 2016. pp. 1-23. Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://animals-of-uae.webs.com/ Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2016).

The Hoopoe )Upupa epops Linnaeus, 1758) in Palestine. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288. Number 140, August 2016. pp. 1-21. Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://animals-of-palestine-2.webs.com/ Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2016).

The Desert Tawny Owl (Strix hadorami Kirwan, Schweizer and Copete, 2015): New Species of Bird Discovered in Palestine. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288. Number 142, October 2016. pp. 1-13. Dubai and Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 142 – October 2016

12

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://birds-of-palestine.webs.com/deserttawny-owl Khalaf, Ola Mostafa (Fotografin) (27 July 2007). Foto: Strauß, Qaryet Al Asad (Löwe Dorf), Kairo-Alexandria Wüsten-Straße, Ägypten. Fotocommunity. www.fotocommunity.de/pc/pc/extra/buddies/display/21947580 Khalaf, Ola Mostafa (Fotografin) (02 August 2010). Foto: Afrikanische Straußeneier / African Ostrich Egg-shell. Souk Al Arsah, Sharjah, Vereinigte Arabische Emirate. Fotocommunity. www.fotocommunity.de/pc/pc/extra/buddies/display/22032858 Khaleghizadeh, A., Scott, D.A., Tohidifar, M., Musavi, S.B., Ghasemi, M., Sehhatisabet, M.E., Ashoori, A., Khani, A., Bakhtiari, P., Amini, H., Roselaar, C., Ayé, R., Ullman, M., Nezami, B. & Eskandari, F. (2011). Rare birds in Iran in 1980–2010. Podoces, 6 (1), 1–48.

Kirwan, G.M. & Grieve, A. (2010). Studies of Socotran birds V. On the validity of Anthus similis sokotrae and a few remarks on Arabian and northeast African populations of Long-billed Pipit A. similis. Sandgrouse, 32 (1), 43–49.

Kirwan, Guy M., Manuel Schweizer and José Luis Copete (2015). Multiple lines of evidence confirm that Hume’s Owl Strix butleri (A. O. Hume, 1878) is two species, with description of an unnamed species (Aves: Non-Passeriformes: Strigidae). Zootaxa 3904 (1): 028–050. http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2015/f/z03904p050f.pdf König, C., Weick, F. & Becking, J.-H. (1999). Owls: A Guide to the Owls of the World.

Pica Press, Robertsbridge, 462 pp.

König, C., Weick, F. & Becking, J.-H. (2008). Owls: A Guide to the Owls of the World.

Second Edition. Christopher Helm, London, 528 pp.

Leshem, J. (1981). The occurrence of the Hume’s Tawny Owl in Israel and Sinai.

Sandgrouse, 2, 100–102.

Meinertzhagen, R. (1930). Nicoll’s Birds of Egypt. Vol. 1. Hugh Rees, London, 348 pp.

Meinertzhagen, R. (1954). Birds of Arabia. Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh & London, 624 pp.

Mendelssohn, H., Yom Tov, Y. & Safriel, U. (1975). Hume’s Tawny Owl (Strix butleri) in Judean, Negev and Sinai Deserts. Ibis, 117 (1), 110–111. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919x.1975.tb04193.x Mikkola, H. (2012). Owls of the World: A Photographic Guide. Christopher Helm, London, 512 pp.

Nguembock, B., Fjeldså, J., Couloux, A. & Pasquet, E. (2008). Phylogeny of Laniarius: molecular data reveal L. liberatus synonymous with L. erlangeri and “plumage coloration” as unreliable morphological characters for defining species and species groups. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 48, 396–407. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2008.04.014 Nijman, V. & Aliabadian, M. (2013). DNA barcoding as a tool for elucidating species delineation in wide-ranging species as illustrated by owls (Tytonidae and Strigidae).

Zoological Science, 30 (11), 1005–1009. http://dx.doi.org/10.2108/zsj.30.1005 Pacheco, M.A., Battistuzzi, F.U., Lentino, M., Aguilar, R., Kumar, S. & Escalante, A.A. (2011). Evolution of modern birds revealed by mitogenomics: timing the radiation and origin of major orders. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 28 (6), 1927–1942. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msr014 Peterson, A.T. (2014). Type specimens in modern ornithology are necessary and irreplaceable. Auk, 131 (3), 282–286. http://dx.doi.org/10.1642/auk-13-204.1 Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 142 – October 2016

13 Price, T. (2008). Speciation in Birds. Roberts & Co., Greenwood Village, Colorado, 470 pp.

Prostak, Sergio (2015). Desert Tawny Owl: New Species of Bird Discovered. Jan 25, 2015.

Sci-News.com. http://www.sci-news.com/biology/science-desert-tawny-owl-strixhadorami-new-species-bird-02432.html Rasmussen, P.C. & Anderton, J.C. (2005). Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Vol. 2.

Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC & Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, 683 pp.

Robb, M., van den Berg, A.B. & Constantine, M. (2013). A new species of Strix owl from Oman. Dutch Birding, 35 (5), 275–310.

Roberts, T.J. (1992). The Birds of Pakistan. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press, Karachi, 598 pp.

Roselaar, C.S. & Aliabadian, M. (2009). Review of rare birds in Iran, 1860s–1960s.

Podoces, 4 (1), 1–27.

Rozen, S. & Skaletsky, H.J. (2000). Primer3 on the WWW for general users and for biologist programmers. In: Misener, S. & Krawetz, S.A. (Eds.), Bioinformatics Methods and Protocols: Methods in Molecular Biology. Vol. 132. Humana Press, Totowa, New Jersey, pp. 365–386.

Russon, Mary-Ann (2015). Desert tawny owl: New species of bird discovered in Israel.

January 26, 2015. http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/desert-tawny-owl-new-species-birddiscovered-israel-1485247 Scott, D.A. (2008). Rare birds in Iran in the late 1960s and 1970s. Podoces, 3 (1/2), 1–30.

Scott, D.A. & Adhami, A. (2006). An updated checklist of the birds of Iran. Podoces, 1 (1/2), 1–16.

Shirihai, Hadoram (1975). “I found a Hume’s Owl”. Kenaff Renanim (Jerusalem Birdwatching Club), 1, 10. [in Hebrew].

Shirihai, Hadoram (1996). The Birds of Israel. Academic Press, London, 682 pp.

Smithe, F.B. (1976) Naturalist’s Color Guide. American Museum of Natural History, New York, 21 pp.

Stamatakis, A. (2006). RAxML-VI-HPC: Maximum likelihood-based phylogenetic analyses with thousands of taxa and mixed models. Bioinformatics, 22, 2688–2690. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bioinformatics/btl446 Stamatakis, A., Hoover, P. & Rougemont, J. (2008). A rapid bootstrap algorithm for the RAxML web servers. Systematic Biology, 57 (5), 758–771. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10635150802429642 Svensson, L. (1999). Identification Guide to European Passerines. Fourth edn. Privately published, Stockholm, 368 pp.

Ticehurst, C.B. (1927). The birds of British Baluchistan. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 32, 64–97.

Tristram, H.B. (1879). Letter to the Editor: Asio butleri and Caprimulgus tamaricis. Stray Feathers, 8, 416–417.

Tristram, H.B. (1880). Letter to the Editor. Ibis, Series 4, 4, 245–246.

Wink, M., El-Sayed, A.A., Sauer-Gürth, H. & Gonzalez, J. (2009). Molecular phylogeny of owls (Strigiformes) inferred from DNA sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b and the nuclear RAG-1 gene. In: Johnson, D.H., Van Nieuwenhuyse, D. & Duncan, J.R. (Eds.), Proceedings Fourth World Owl Conference. Oct–Nov 2007, Groningen, The Netherlands. Ardea, 97 (4), 581–591.

Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 142 – October 2016