Tyto robusta

Tyto robusta Temporal range: Late Miocene/Early Pliocene 5.5–5 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Strigiformes
Family:	Tytonidae
Genus:	Tyto
Species:	†T. robusta
Binomial name
†Tyto robusta Ballmann, 1973[1]
Synonyms
see text

Tyto robusta was a prehistoric barn-owl. It lived at what is now Monte Gargano in Italy, and was an island throughout much of the Neogene when sea levels were higher. The owl's remains date back to the Miocene-Pliocene boundary 5.5 to 5 million years ago. The fossil bones are about 60% as long again as a modern barn owl,^[1] giving a total length of about 50–65 cm for T. robusta. This owl provides an interesting case study of evolution and insular gigantism.