NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
African Wood Owl
Strix woodfordii (A. Smith, 1834)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The African wood owl (Strix woodfordii) or Woodford's owl, is a typical owl from the genus Strix in the family Strigidae and is arguably the most common forest owl in Africa. It inhabits wooded areas and possesses a distinctive call. During the day it roosts singly or in pairs in dense cover, high in trees, whilst at night it forages for food.
Wikipedia contributors, African wood owl; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:06:50.545061+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Strix woodfordii (A. Smith, 1834)
- Name authority
- (A. Smith, 1834)
- Common name
- African Wood Owl
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Strigidae
- Genus
- Strix
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderStrigiformes
- familyStrigidae
- subfamilyStriginae
- genusStrix Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesStrix woodfordii (A. Smith, 1834)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Strix. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Rufous-banded OwlStrix albitarsis (Bonaparte, 1850) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hume's OwlStrix butleri (Hume, 1878) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Fulvous OwlStrix fulvescens (P. L. Sclater & Salvin, 1868) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-and-white OwlStrix nigrolineata (P. L. Sclater, 1859) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ural OwlStrix uralensis Pallas, 1771 | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Barred OwlStrix varia Barton, 1799 | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Maghreb OwlStrix mauritanica (Witherby, 1905) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tawny OwlStrix aluco Linnaeus, 1758 | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Chaco OwlStrix chacoensis Cherrie & Reichenberger, 1921 | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-banded OwlStrix huhula Daudin, 1800 | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rusty-barred OwlStrix hylophila Temminck, 1825 | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Himalayan OwlStrix nivicolum (Blyth, 1845) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Noctua woodfordii A. Smith, 1834 A. Smith, 1834 | synonym |
| Ciccaba woodfordii (A. Smith, 1834) (A. Smith, 1834) | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=686688 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:6ZWZ5. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.