Balsas Screech-Owl
Megascops seductus
Medium-sized owl (but large for a screech-owl) with short ear tufts and brownish (not yellow) eyes. Fairly common in scrubby woodland, thorn forest, and edge of interior southwest Mexico where it is endemic. Sometimes seen hunting beside quiet roads. Usually detected by its gruff, bouncing ball song. Mottled Owl occurs in same areas but is slightly larger, with a rounded head and thicker dark streaks below.
识别特征
The Balsas screech owl is among the larger members of genus Megascops; it is 24 to 27 cm (9.4 to 10.6 in) long and weighs between 150 and 174 g (5.3 and 6.1 oz). Its facial disc is grayish brown with brownish markings and a darker border. Its "ear" tufts are short. The crown and upperparts are also grayish brown; the crown has darker streaks and the upperparts have a pinkish blush and dark streaks and other marks. The closed wing shows two bands of whitish spots. The underparts are paler than the upperparts and have narrow dark streaks and faint vermiculation.
分类信息
The Balsas screech owl is monotypic.
- 学名
- Megascops seductus
- 命名信息
- (Moore, RT, 1941)
- 目
- Strigiformes
- 科
- Strigidae
- 属
- Megascops
分布与栖息地
The Balsas screech owl is endemic to interior southwestern Mexico. Its range is centered on the valley of the Balsas River from southern Jalisco southeast into central Guerrero. It inhabits arid open and semi-open areas such as deciduous woodland with cactus, thorn forest, and secondary forest. It can also be found in tropical scrublands and the edges of cultivated areas. In elevation it ranges from 600 to 1,500 m (2,000 to 4,900 ft).
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
Like most other screech owls, the Basas screech owl is nocturnal. Its hunting methods have not been described, but its diet apparently includes insects, other arthropods, and small vertebrates.<p>Very little is known about the Balsas screech owl's breeding phenology. It is assumed to nest in cavities in trees and cacti like others of its genus.<p>Both sexes of the Balsas screech owl perform a territorial song described as "a rather loud series of gruff notes accelerating to a trill ('bouncing-ball' rhythm), book-book-bokbokbobobobrrrrr". A possible courtship song is "a series of gruff, screaming 'whinny' trills".
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- declining
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Sabota Lark
Calendulauda sabota
A medium-sized, streaky lark with a strong white eyebrow that gives it a capped appearance and a bold face pattern that is emphasized by a white crescent under the eye and strong moustachial streaks. The heavily streaked breast contrasts with a plain whitish belly and throat. The western races in South Africa’s Northern Cape and in Namibia have heavier, longer bills than their eastern counterparts. Pairs are resident in Karoo shrubland and arid savanna, preferring grassy areas. In spring and summer, the male sits up on a prominent perch singing a rich, melodious, variable song that often includes imitations of other birds. The Sabota Lark lacks the rufous wing panel present in Fawn-colored, Flappet, and Rufous-naped Larks.
White-cheeked Antbird
Gymnopithys leucaspis
Distinctive antbird with pale blue eyering and snowy white underparts and rusty upperparts. Black eyebrow and cheek extends through neck sides and down flanks. Occurs in lowland rainforest east of the Andes; no range overlap with similar Bicolored Antbird. Most often seen in the vicinity of army ant swarms, perched on vertical branches or vines close to the ground. Several individuals may gather at a large ant swarm. Listen for harsh descending “churr” calls that might be a clue that there’s an ant swarm nearby.
Purple-throated Sunangel
Heliangelus viola
Medium-sized hummingbird with a rather limited range in southern Ecuador and northern Peru. Unmistakable: mostly emerald-green with a purple throat and a blue forecrown. Also note the fairly short, straight bill. Sexes similar, but female is slightly duller. Occurs at forest edge and shrubby areas from around 1,800 to 3,300 m. Visits feeders.
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