The Stygian Owl (Asio stygius noctipetens) in the Dominican Republic

Abstract

The Stygian Owl was known on the island of Quisqueya long before Columbus discovered the New World. A carved wooden figure of a bird with ear tufts found in a cave, and an Indian drawing on a cave wall, indicate that it could have been an important part of an ancient religious ritual or that it was a familiar figure in the caves in which the Indians sought refuge...