[Taxacom] owl in flight catching a ghost moth

[John Grehan]

I realize this is not strictly about systematic/taxonomic matters, but I
thought it might interest some on the list nevertheless for being a
somewhat rare biological observation. I posted on my web page at
http://johngrehan.net/index.php/hepialidae/aenetus/aenetus-virescens(scroll
down the right) an image of an owl in the act of grabbing a ghost
moth off a wall while in flight.

No doubt someone else could film this kind of event with the right
equipment, but given that this particular case would not probably warrant
that attention, the image is quite a rarity (and none other ever
published).

The image was taken by an amateur photographer who was helping me with my
research on this moth in the 1980's. As an aside, these owls would see the
moths resting in the light of the porch and would sometimes swoop in, but
in complete silence so it was like seeing a ghost pass by - a ghost owl for
a ghost moth!

John Grehan