Stygian Owl
Asio stygius
Large, dark, eared owl with golden eyes. Favors pine and pine-oak forest, mainly in highlands. Roosts at middle to upper levels, at times on fairly open branches. Hunts in open forest and at edges. Note the whitish forehead blaze and streaked underparts. Slightly smaller and less bulky than Great Horned Owl, which has barred underparts. Call is a very deep single hoot, repeated at intervals.
Identification
The Stygian owl is 38 to 46 cm (15 to 18 in) long and weighs about 400 to 675 g (14 to 24 oz). The sexes have similar very dark plumage. (The adjective "Stygian" means "of, or relating to, the River Styx", but is more widely applied to anything that is dark or dismal.) The face is blackish with a pale border and a whitish forehead, and the head has long dark feathers that project upward as "ears". The dark upperparts have buff streaks and bars; the underparts are a dingy buff with dark brown or blackish barring and streaks. The eye is shades of yellow, the bill blue-black to blackish, and the feet dark grayish or brownish pink. Its eyes may appear to be a shade of crimson under certain lighting due to their reflective nature. The subspecies are substantially alike, differing mostly in the shade of the upperparts' streaks and somewhat in size.
Taxonomy
The Stygian owl has these six recognized subspecies:
- Scientific name
- Asio stygius
- Authority
- (Wagler, 1832)
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Strigidae
- Genus
- Asio
Range and habitat
The subspecies of Stygian owl are found thus (but see the text below the list):<p>In addition, the Stygian owl has been documented as a vagrant in Texas, Florida, and Trinidad.<p>Some authors merge A. s. lambi into A. s. robustus. Some extend the range of robustus to include the Colombian, Ecuadorian, and Venezuelan populations otherwise attributed to A. s. stygius. Some include A. s. noctipetens in A. s. siguapa. And some include the population in southeastern Brazil in A. s. barberoi instead of in A. s. stygius.<p>The Stygian owl inhabits a wide variety of landscapes from sea level to 3,000 m (9,800 ft) of elevation. Most are fairly open rather than densely forested or purely grasslands. They include montane pine, pine-oak, and cloud forests, thorn scrub, cerrado, pine plantations, and even urban parks.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Medium-sized dove of open spaces with trees and bushes. Male is red with a bluish-gray head and female is brown overall. Both sexes have a dark collar. Female may be confused with other collared-doves, but is smaller with a shorter tail. Often forages in pairs, but may congregate in large flocks, particularly in agricultural fields where seeds have been spilled. Song is a hoarse and muffled-sounding series of three or four hoots.
Square-tailed Kite
Lophoictinia isura
Uncommon, inconspicuous raptor with a fairly small bill. Adult has a pale head and reddish underparts with black streaks on neck. Juvenile has a more reddish head with less streaking. In flight, tail has obvious square corners with a dark band at the base. Sails over forest woodland habitats just above the tree canopy, typically with little wing movement. Occurs singly or in pairs. At a distance, and particularly when heavily worn, take care to identify juvenile birds from Black Kite, which has more uniformly patterned plumage.
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Stephanophorus diadematus
Large blue tanager with a short strong bill. Unmistakable; mostly blue with a black mask, a red crest, and a white crown. Found at the edge of montane forests including Araucaria forests, woodlands, parks, and gardens. The song is melodious and rich.
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