Crested Owl
Lophostrix cristata
Uncommon but unmistakable. Large spectacular owl of humid evergreen forest in tropical lowlands and foothills. Often roosts in pairs at low levels inside the forest, sometimes in rather open situations. Roosting birds often hold their long, bushy white eyebrows flattened, but raise them when alert. At night, favors dense forest canopy. Calling birds can be very difficult to locate. Call is a short, throaty, intensifying growl, typically repeated every 5–10 seconds.
Identification
The crested owl is a medium-sized owl with a total length ranging from 38 to 43 cm and weighs 425 to 620 grams. It is distinctively recognized with its very long white or buff colored ear tufts and its prominent whitish eyestripe that extends into the ear tufts. The Iris varies from yellow to brown mottled with rufous. The bill is generally yellow or darker and its toes are a pale grey-brown colour.<p>The mesoptile (down feathers) of juveniles is whitish. Their facial disk is dark, and the ear tufts are short. The flight and tail feathers are similar to adults.<p>The adult form has two colour morphs: a dark and a pale morph. A third greyish morph has been described, but it is restricted to the subspecies Lophostrix cristata stricklandi <p>The dark morph has an overall chocolate-brown colour, with the Crown, facial disk and upper breast in the same deep chocolate colour. The wing coverts and primaries are dotted with white and all flight feathers are barred light and dark. The tail feathers are chocolate brown with some darker mottling and the throat is pale buff.<p>The light morph individuals have a rufous-brown overall colour and the upper breast has a dark brown collar.
Taxonomy
The genus of the crested owl is in the family Strigidae as well as the subfamily Striginae and is traditionally recognized as a part of the tribe Strigini along with Strix, Jubula and Pulsatrix. However, recent analysis suggest that Lophostrix could form its own tribe, Pulsatrigini, with Pulsatrix. <p>There are three recognized subspecies:<p>It has been suggested that Lophostrix cristata stricklandi could be specifically distinct from Lophostrix cristata on the basis that it has a grey morph, a shorter song and strictly yellow eyes.
- Scientific name
- Lophostrix cristata
- Authority
- (Daudin, 1800)
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Strigidae
- Genus
- Lophostrix
Range and habitat
The crested owl is a resident bird throughout its Central and South American range.<p>The crested owl is found in Central America and northern South America, where it occurs in Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. It is found in the Amazon Basin except in the north-west basin region with western Guyana, Venezuela, and central-eastern Colombia.<p>The crested owl natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. They live up to 1000m in altitude, and are found in higher abundance where there is undergrowth and the presence of snags. Crested owls also prefer proximity with water. They favor old growth, however they will also occur in undisturbed secondary growth forest. More specifically, they are most abundant in old floodplain forest and are least abundant in primary seasonally flooded swamp forest.<p>In Mexico, they are found in tropical evergreen and semi-deciduous forests, riparian areas, clearings and foothills.
- 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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