Tropical Screech-Owl
Megascops choliba
As with all screech-owls, much easier to identify by voice: a short rapid trill with a pop at the end. If you’re lucky enough to see one, look for an overall grayish-brown or rufous bird with fine markings, including thin streaks on underparts. Black border to face. Sexes alike. Found in wooded habitats, sometimes coming out into open shrubby fields or gardens with only a few scattered trees. Usually the most common screech-owl in range.
Identification
The tropical screech owl is polymorphic, with much variation in color. It is overall gray-brown or (less commonly) brown or rufous, but always with a relatively distinctive blackish edge to the face and yellow irides. Its undersides are pale with a black "herringbone" pattern. The subspecies differ in the intensity of the colors and the amount of black markings on the upper- and underparts. Adults are 21 to 23 cm (8.3 to 9.1 in) long and weigh 97 to 160 g (3.4 to 5.6 oz).
Taxonomy
The taxonomy of genus Megascops is somewhat unsettled. A 2015 publication proposed that the tropical screech owl's closest relatives are the white-throated screech owl (M. albogularis) and Koepcke's screech owl (M. koepckeae). However, the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) has not accepted that assessment.<p>The following nine subspecies are accepted by the IOC, the Clements taxonomy, and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World. M. c. duidae perhaps represents a separate species.
- Scientific name
- Megascops choliba
- Authority
- (Vieillot, 1817)
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Strigidae
- Genus
- Megascops
Range and habitat
The tropical screech owl is "the most common and widespread screech-owl of the neotropicis." It is found from Costa Rica and Panama south and throughout South America (including Trinidad and Tobago), almost entirely east of the Andes, but not in the far south. The subspecies are distributed thus:<p>The tropical screech owl inhabits a wide variety of landscapes. Most tend to be partially to mostly open, such as secondary forest, open woodland, coffee plantations, residential areas, and the borders of terra firme and várzea forests. Except for M. c. duidae, it shuns the interior of forests; that subspecies is found in dense forest and bamboo scrub.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
White-bellied Woodpecker
Dryocopus javensis
Impressive large black woodpecker a white belly and pale eyes. Male has a bright red crest, whereas female has an all-dark one. Large size and mostly black plumage distinguishes this species from any other woodpecker in range. Gives a loud “kyick!” and a prolonged series of “keck” notes. Usually seen on or around tall dead trees both standing and fallen, either singly or in pairs.
Buff-cheeked Greenlet
Pachysylvia muscicapina
Small, sprightly bird of mixed-species flocks in the rainforest canopy. Note plain appearance with unmarked olive-green wings and back that contrast with buffy face and chest. Forages in leaf clusters at the ends of high branches, often hanging upside-down. Unlikely to be seen in forest understory or away from flocks. Delivers short, snappy song over and over while foraging.
Humaita Antbird
Myrmelastes humaythae
Understory antbird of wet, forested habitats. Males are evenly gray; females are warm brown. Both sexes have tiny white wing spots and light gray eyes. Part of the species complex previously known as “Spot-winged Antbird;” it is similar to the previously conspecific Brownish-headed Antbird, which is separated by range and habitat. Humaita Antbird is found away from the foothills, in the Amazonian lowlands, while Brownish-headed is found in the understory of mature rainforest along the base of the Andes. In parts of its range, it is found nearly exclusively in palm swamps. Its song is a slowly-rising series of rapid high notes.
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