Central American Pygmy Owl - BirdForum Opus

Glaucidium griseiceps

Identification

14-16 cm Head and nape greyish, with back more rufous. Underside is whitish centrally, with rufous mottle and streaks closer to the side. Tail only shows 2-3 pale bands. False eyes at the nape.
Eyes are yellow, bill and cere are yellowish-greenish horn. Tarsi feathered, toes with bristles are yellowish and the claws have a dark tip.

Distribution

Central and South America
Central America: Mexico (southeastern part, but absent from much of Yucatan Peninsula), Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama (in most of CA on the Atlantic side, but several countries also on the Pacific side)
South America: Colombia (only the area closest to Panama) and Ecuador (only the north-west corner)

Taxonomy

Central American Pygmy Owl has been considered a subspecies of Least Pygmy Owl.

Subspecies^[1]

• G. g. occultum:

• South-eastern Mexico (south-eastern Veracruz, northern Oaxaca and Chiapas)

• G. g. griseiceps:

• Guatemala, Belize and Honduras

• G. g. rarum:

• Costa Rica and Panama

This species is considered monotypic by some authorities (they think the subspecies rarum and occultum are color variants).

Habitat

Humid forests of lowlands and foothills.

Behaviour

Active both during daylight and at night, mostly in the upper half of the forest.

The song is quite fast, 3 hoots per second.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Avibase
3. König, C. and F. Weick 2008. Owls of the World, second edition. Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 978-0-7136-6548-2

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2023) Central American Pygmy Owl. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 30 November 2023 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Central_American_Pygmy_Owl

External Links

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