page_title: True owl
section_title: Systematics
hierarchical_section_title: True owl / Systematics
context_page_description: The true owls or typical owls are one of the two generally accepted families of owls, the other being the barn owls. The Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy unites the Caprimulgiformes with the owl order; here, the typical owls are a subfamily Striginae. This is unsupported by more recent research, but the relationships of the owls in general are still unresolved. This large family comprises nearly 220 living species in 25 genera. The typical owls have a cosmopolitan distribution and are found on every continent except Antarctica. There are three accepted subfamilies of Strigidae including Striginae, Asioninae, and Surniinae.
context_section_description: The family Strigidae was introduced by the English zoologist William Elford Leach in a guide to the contents of the British Museum published in 1820.
  The nearly 220 extant species are assigned to a number of genera, which are in taxonomic order:
  Genus Megascops – screech-owls, 23 species
  Genus Gymnasio – Puerto Rican owl
  Genus Otus – scops owls; probably paraphyletic, about 45 species
  Genus Pyrroglaux – Palau owl
  Genus Margarobyas – bare-legged owl or Cuban screech-owl
  Genus Ptilopsis – white-faced owls, two species
  Genus Bubo – horned owls, eagle-owls and fish-owls; paraphyletic with Nyctea, Ketupa and Scotopelia, some 25 species
  Genus Strix – earless owls, some 19 species, including four that were previously classified as Ciccaba
  Genus Ciccaba – the four species have been transferred to Strix
  Genus Lophostrix – crested owl
  Genus Jubula – maned owl
  Genus Pulsatrix – spectacled owls, three species
  Genus Surnia – northern hawk-owl
  Genus Glaucidium – pygmy owls, about 30–35 species
  Genus Xenoglaux – long-whiskered owlet
  Genus Micrathene – elf owl
  Genus Athene –  two to four species (depending on whether Speotyto and Heteroglaux are included or not)
  Genus Aegolius – saw-whet owls, four species
  Genus Ninox – Australasian hawk-owls, some 20 species
  Genus Uroglaux – Papuan hawk-owl
  Genus Pseudoscops – Jamaican owl and possibly striped owl
  Genus Asio – eared owls, six or seven species
  Genus Nesasio – fearful owl
  Genus Psiloscops – flammulated owl
caption: The forest owlet, one of the critically endangered owls found in Central Indian Forest
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