- Megascops choliba
Otus choliba
Identification
20-24cm
- Short ear tufts
- Yellow eyes
- Light grey, black edged facial disk
- Heavily streaked upper-parts and under-parts marked with herring bone pattern
- Grey, brown and red colour morphs occur with intermediates.
Distribution
From Costa Rica through the northern half of South America including Trinidad but not found west of the Andes.
Taxonomy
This and almost all Screech-Owls in the Americas have previously been considered to belong in the same genus (Otus) as the European and Asian Scops-Owls, but a reassignment to Megascops have been accepted by among other authorities, the American Ornithologists' Union.
Subspecies[1]
Nine subspecies are recognized:
- M. c. luctisonus:
- Costa Rica to north-western Colombia; winters to Pearl Islands (Panama)
- M. c. margaritae:
- Isla Margarita (off north-western Venezuela)
- M. c. duidae:
- Duida Mountains (southern Venezuela)
- M. c. cruciger (montanus, kelsoi, alticola, caucae):
- M. c. surutus:
- M. c. decussatus (caatingensis):
- South-central and eastern Brazil
- M. c. choliba (chapadensis):
- M. c. wetmorei (alilucoco):
- M. c. uruguaii:
Habitat
Savanna, open forest, plantations, parks, clearings. Mainly in lowland, can be found somewhat high as long as local weather is warm.
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes insects and other invertebrates, occasionally snakes and small mammals.
Breeding
The clutch of 1-4 eggs are laid in a tree cavity. There has been one report of a pair using a nest built by a Guira Cuckoo.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Word Owl Trust
- Ornithologia Neotropical
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Tropical Screech-Owl. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 1 September 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Tropical_Screech-Owl
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.