This week I’ve been doing identifications from boxes of old specimens that haven’t been looked at for some time. Here’s one of the specimens that came out:
It should be a fairly straightforward one to identify to family level, but can you work out what species it is? Cryptic answers appreciated, to keep the game fun for everyone. Good luck!
Zygoma 
The hooked beak, the “V” between the forehead and the top of the beak, and the defined angle of the mandible look like the strigiformes to me, but I don’t know where to look for speciation! What part of the world is this wise little fellow from?
That’s a good question, but unfortunately I don’t know where this specimen is from as there are absolutely no data associated with the specimen. I based my identification on a few key characteristics and size. My clue is to look at the slope of the brow.
I agree Strigiformes, but he’s a tiny chap. The bill shape looks wrong for T*** a*** and S**** a****, so pending any reply from Paolo as to area of origin, I’ll assume a (non native) UK species and guess A***** n******.
All I can say is that the other material from the same box, with the same preparation and in a similar condition (i.e. likely from the same collection) ranges from European species to Australian species with specimens from all sorts of places in-between…
Indeed my first guess was a Strigiformes. Towards a Tyto species but most of them are larger than this one.
Has it got rabbit-like qualities ?
If I were to say A*io **a**eu*…
does it perhaps say kee-kee-kee?
Not really a kee-kee-kee, although one of its relatives has that call.
After some conferring (and switching of focus to strigiformes) we have a shortlist and nominate either A*** f******* or A*** o*** .