Watch out! This burrito bites back. Just a quick checkup for this Pueo (Hawaiian Owl) patient and back to the aviary she goes for quiet time.
I was trying to find what exactly makes the Pueo different from the normal Short Eared Owl, but haven't come across that. The only interesting things I noticed was it's scientific name is Asio flammeus sandwichensis, but I also haven't found where the sandwich part comes from, and I learned about SOS.
So called "sick owl syndrome" is affecting the Pueo, which is typically more hearty than many other local birds species. The cause is not yet determined, but it seems to cause a stumbling behavior. I'll have to look more into this.
For many Hawaiian families, both ancient and modern, pueo are ‘aumakua, ancestral guardians that protect the family from harm.
The Peuo is unique to Hawaii. Its ancestors came over with the Polynesians. Barn Owls were also introduced to the islands in the 50s and 60s when the local government imported 86 Barn Owls.
The extinct stilt owls also used to live there.
The Sandwich part sent me on a little goose chase (pun intended)
There's also the Sandwich tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis)
https://www.bto.org/understanding-birds/birdfacts/sandwich-tern
and the nēnē, aka Hawaiian goose (Branta sandvicensis)
https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/species.jsp?avibaseid=EDB18078B9A2C905
And Wikipedia helped with the rest:
https://simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandwich_Islands
Nice detective work!
Sandwich Islands was my first thought, but they're but near Hawaiia.
The tern is named after a port in Alaska, so that wasn't it. I was going to check to see if that's where the owl guy's boat left from, but I didn't get the chance yet.
You win the Golden Owl Achievement for Research today! 🏅
Applause
(flashbulb handshake)
Those Canadians know how to honor an owl properly!