Strix fuscescens

Strix fuscescens (Strix fuscescens) is the historical species combination now generally treated as the southern Japanese Ural owl subspecies Strix uralensis fuscescens, a relatively small rusty-brown form. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct field comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is associated with forests of western and southern Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu and shares the Ural owl's nocturnal perch-hunting ecology; the catalogue name is retained here exactly as supplied (ITIS; Wikipedia, Ural owl general account). Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant or visitor (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).