The Turkoman Eagle Owl, also called Turkmenian or Steppe, is usually considered a subspecies of the
Eurasian Eagle Owl, although some consider it a distinct species. The subspecies Bubo bubo turcomanus, tarimensis
and omissus are usually treated as one subspecies.
It is extinct in its former range of Turkmenistan but is present over the steppes of Kazakhstan, Russia
and Mongolia. (Other authorities say only present in Northern Iraq and Pakistan, and attribute subspecies
B. b. omissus to the Central Asian steppes and western China.)
It is the rarest eagle owl and, with its paler plumage, the only one preferring steppe and semi-desert habitat.