Red Owl
Photo: Mikael Bauer · CC BY 4.0

Bay Owls and Barn Owls

Red Owl

Tyto soumagnei

VUVulnerable Endemic to Madagascar
Family
Bay Owls and Barn Owls (Tytonidae)
Order
Strigiformes

Overview

The red owl (Tyto soumagnei) 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.

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Range and habitat

Very locally northern and eastern Madagascar; most recent records from far north.

Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.

Continents

Countries

Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.