| Balsas screech owl | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Strigidae |
| Genus: | Megascops |
| Species: | M. seductus |
| Binomial name | |
| Megascops seductus (Moore, RT, 1941) | |
 | |
| Synonyms | |
Otus seductus R. T. Moore, 1941 | |
The Balsas screech owl (Megascops seductus) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is endemic to Mexico. [3]
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. [4]
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). [4]
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. [4]
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. [4]
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". [4]
The IUCN has assessed the Balsas screech owl as being of Least Concern. Until 2014 it had been considered Near Threatened. However, its population is unknown and is suspected to be in decline due to habitat loss and degradation. [1]
The western screech owl is a small owl native to North and Central America, closely related to the eastern screech owl. The scientific name commemorates the American naturalist Robert Kennicott.
The Puerto Rican owl or múcaro común, formerly known as the Puerto Rican screech owl, is a mid-sized "typical owl" in subfamily Striginae. It is endemic to the archipelago of Puerto Rico though it formerly also inhabited the Virgin Islands.
The white-throated screech owl is a small owl found in the Andes of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.
The black-capped screech owl, or variable screech owl, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.
The bearded screech owl or Santa Barbara screech owl is a small "typical owl" in subfamily Striginae. It is found in Guatemala and Mexico.
The tropical screech owl is a small species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Costa Rica, Panama, Trinidad, and every mainland South American country.
The Pacific screech owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. The Pacific screech owl has sometimes been treated as a race of western screech owl or eastern screech owl but its vocalizations are distinct from theirs. Two subspecies are recognized, the nominate M. c. cooperi and M. c. lambi. The latter has also sometimes been treated as a separate species. The IUCN has assessed the Pacific screech owl as being of Least Concern. Its population is estimated to exceed 50,000 mature individuals but is believed to be decreasing.
The Middle American screech owl, also known as the Guatemalan screech owl or the vermiculated screech owl, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found from northern Mexico to western Panama.
The Yungas screech owl, also known as montane forest screech-owl and Hoy's screech owl, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Argentina and Bolivia.
Koepcke's screech owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is endemic to Peru.
The cloud-forest screech owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Bolivia and Peru.
The cinnamon screech owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in the Andes of Ecuador and Peru and possibly Colombia.
The West Peruvian screech owl or Peruvian screech owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.
The long-tufted screech owl is a species of "typical owl" in the subfamily Striginae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.
The tawny-bellied screech owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Screech owls are typical owls (Strigidae) belonging to the genus Megascops with 22 living species. For most of the 20th century, this genus was merged with the Old World scops owls in Otus, but nowadays it is again considered separately based on a range of behavioral, biogeographical, morphological, and DNA sequence data.
The foothill screech owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.
The vermiculated screech owl, is a subspecies of Middle American screech owl, or possibly separate species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama.
The Santa Marta screech owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found only in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta of Colombia.
The Sierra de Huautla is a mountain range and biosphere reserve in central Mexico. Located in southern Morelos, the Sierra de Huautla is a southern extension of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt range into the Balsas Basin. The dry forests of Sierra are home to a diverse community of animals and plants, and the reserve's outstanding biodiversity is recognized by UNESCO.
