Spectacled Owl - BirdForum Opus

Photo by Mark Harper
Photo taken: Jorupe, Ecuador

Pulsatrix perspicillata

Includes: Short-browed Owl

Identification

Length 46 cm; weight 850 g

• Brown upperparts, head and upper breast
• White facial markings
• Buff underparts
• Yellow eyes
• Pale bill
  

Juvenile: completely white, apart from a chocolate brown facial disc

Distribution

It is a resident breeder from southern Mexico and Trinidad south to W Ecuador, Bolivia and north-western Argentina.

Taxonomy

Subspecies^[1]

There are six subspecies:

• P. p. saturata:

• Southern Mexico (Veracruz and Oaxaca) to western Panama (Chiriquí)

Juvenile
Photo by erikat
AdeK University, Uitvlucht (Paramaribo), Suriname, June 2007

• P. p. chapmani:

• Eastern Costa Rica and Panama to Colombia, western Ecuador and north-western Peru

• P. p. perspicillata:

• Eastern Colombia to Venezuela, the Guianas, Brazil and northern Bolivia

• P. p. trinitatis:

• Trinidad

• P. p. boliviana:

• Southern Bolivia and northern Argentina

• P. p. pulsatrix:

• Paraguay to eastern Brazil (Bahia) and northern Argentina (Misiones)

Pulsatrix is sometimes considered a full species, Short-browed Owl.

Habitat

Dense forest, but hunts in the semi-open and savanna with large trees, also in clearings and along forest edges.

Behaviour

This is nocturnal species of mature forests.

Breeding

The nest is an unlined tree cavity, laying two white eggs.

Diet

It preys on mammals (up to 90% of its food by mass); in addition, it utilizes a variety of other food sources including other vertebrates and invertebrates. Among birds, it will also take smaller owls.

Vocalisation

The call is a deep hooting BOO Boo boo boo boo becoming softer and faster.

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. König, C. and F. Weick 2008. Owls of the World, second edition. Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 978-0-7136-6548-2
3. Owl Pictures.com
4. A food study

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Spectacled Owl. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Spectacled_Owl

External Links

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