Koepcke's Screech-Owl
Megascops koepckeae
Small gray or brown owl with ear tufts. Found at high elevations in woodlots and forest edges, including in Polylepis forests. Found at higher elevations than the similar Peruvian Screech-Owl. Listen for its song, a staccato, crescendoing series of laughing “kak” notes.
Identification
Koepcke's screech owl is about 24 cm (9.4 in) long. Six individuals of M. k. koepckeae weighed 112 to 127 g (4.0 to 4.5 oz) and three of M. k. hockingi 121 to 130 g (4.3 to 4.6 oz). The nominate subspecies has a whitish gray facial disc with darker speckles and a blackish rim. It has short whitish brows above yellow eyes. The crown is very dark brown with pale brown speckles. The upperparts are grayish brown to dark brown with blackish or dusky streaks and dark barring. The folded wing shows a line of whitish spots. The tail is dark brown with narrow ochre bars and small speckles. The underparts are grayish white and have wide dark brown streaks and irregular bars. The upper breast has a pale brownish ochre wash. M. k. hockingi is similar to the nominate but grayer, and the markings on its underparts are less apparent.
Taxonomy
Koepcke's screech owl was originally described as a subspecies of tropical screech owl (then Otus choliba, now Megascops choliba), and they are now considered sister species. It was named in honor of Maria Koepcke, a German ornithologist who worked extensively in Peru. It has two subspecies, the nominate M. k. koepckeae and M. k. hockingi.
- Scientific name
- Megascops koepckeae
- Authority
- (Hekstra, 1982)
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Strigidae
- Genus
- Megascops
Range and habitat
Koepcke's screech owl is found only in Peru. The nominate subspecies has a disjunct range including the northerly Departments of Lambayeque, Cajamarca,and La Libertad; the valley of the Utcubamba River; and small areas of the Departments of Ancash and Lima. M. k. hockingi is found further south, irregularly from southern Junín Department to the Departments of Huancavelica, Ayacucho, and Apurímac.<p>The two subspecies of Koepcke's screech owl inhabit different landscapes. The nominate uses evergreen forests between 1,840 and 4,500 m (6,040 and 14,760 ft) while M. k. hockingi inhabits dry forest and scrubby areas in intermontane valleys. In elevation it ranges between 1,400 and 3,400 m (4,600 and 11,200 ft) but is usually found below 2,000 m (6,600 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Like most other screech owls, Koepcke's screech owl is nocturnal. Its diet has not been well studied but appears to be mostly insects and might include small vertebrates.<p>The breeding phenology of Koepcke's screech owl is also essentially undocumented. In south central Peru it breeds in February and March. It is assumed to usually nest in tree cavities like others of its genus but the only reported nest was in a cavity in an earthen bank.<p>The territorial song of Koepcke's screech owl has been described as "a loud, staccato series of notes with slowing pace and rising volume: ko-ko-ko-ko ka ka KA KAH!". M. k. hockingi's song is similar but is longer and higher pitched. An aggressive song is "a series of quieter short hoots rising and falling in pitch". Pairs sometimes sing in duet.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Junin Tapaculo
Scytalopus gettyae
Poorly known Peruvian endemic found only in high Andean cloud forest northeast of the city of Huancayo. It was described to science in 2013. Adult male is plain gray, lacking the rufous barring on the lower underparts shown by Rufous-vented Tapaculo and Trilling Tapaculo. Female plumage not yet known with certainty. Younger birds are heavily marked with bars or scales. Best identified by range and voice. Typical song is a lengthy series that starts out with simple notes and gradually transitions into sputtering bursts.
Spotted Sandgrouse
Pterocles senegallus
A medium-sized pallid and delicately-patterned sandgrouse. Pale and sandy overall. Note male’s silver-gray eyebrow and orange cheek and throat. Female has a paler version of the male’s pattern, as well as a speckled nape and chest. Lacks breast bands, unlike Pin-tailed and Black-bellied Sandgrouse. Very similar to Crowned Sandgrouse, but note the present species’ tail filaments and different facial pattern. Note the strong contrast in two-toned underwings when in flight. Flight call is a characteristic “Waka! Waka!” Favors sandy or stony desert plains where it breeds on the ground. Congregates to drink in waterholes in the morning, often flying back and forth over long distances in large flocks.
Gray-olive Greenbul
Phyllastrephus cerviniventris
Fairly small and typically plain greenbul. The pale bill and legs are unusual. Also note the pale whitish or orangish eye. Found in the thick undergrowth and mid-story of forest. Usually in small, vocal groups. The distinctive call is an accelerating series of nasal barking notes. Similar to several other greenbul species, but separated by the pale bill and legs. Further separated from Cabanis’s Greenbul by the lack of yellowish tones on the underparts.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.