Itombwe Owl
Phodilus prigoginei
The Itombwe owl is a species of owl in the barn owl family, Tytonidae. It is restricted to a small area in the Albertine Rift montane forests of east-central Africa.
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Strigiformes
Family
Tytonidae
Genus
Phodilus
Itombwe Owl belongs to the family Tytonidae, order Strigiformes, within the Aves class.
Species Profile
The Itombwe owl is a species of owl in the barn owl family, Tytonidae. It is restricted to a small area in the Albertine Rift montane forests of east-central Africa.
The Itombwe Owl faces severe threats from ongoing deforestation and habitat degradation in the Albertine Rift region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mining activities, agricultural expansion, and human settlement pressure continue to fragment and destroy the montane forest habitats this endemic species depends upon.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
The type specimen was collected at Muusi, at an altitude of 2,430m, in the Itombwe Mountains in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in 1951. It was then unconfirmed until a second individual was captured in a mist net in 1996 in the south east corner of the Itombwe Mountains, some 95 km south of, and 600m, lower than the collection site of the type specimen. Both of the specimens...
Threats
IUCN Red List: Endangered
The Itombwe Owl faces severe threats from ongoing deforestation and habitat degradation in the Albertine Rift region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mining activities, agricultural expansion, and human settlement pressure continue to fragment and destroy the montane forest habitats this endemic species depends upon.
Agricultural expansion
Deforestation and logging
Mining activities
Human settlement and infrastructure development
Political instability limiting conservation efforts
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Itombwe Owl (Phodilus prigoginei). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/itombwe-owl