| Chocó screech owl | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Strigidae |
| Genus: | Megascops |
| Species: | M. centralis |
| Binomial name | |
| Megascops centralis (Hekstra, 1982) | |
 | |
| Synonyms | |
Otus centralis | |
The Chocó screech owl (Megascops centralis) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found from central Panama to western Ecuador. [2]
The Chocó screech owl's taxonomy has undergone numerous changes. It has variously been treated as embedded in or a subspecies of the original Otus guatemalae and then as a subspecies of O. vermiculatus when that was split from O. guatemalae. In the early 2000s, all of the New World members of Otus were assigned to Megascops. [3] [4] As of 2019, the International Ornithological Committee (IOC), the North and South American Classification Committees of the American Ornithological Society (AOS), and the Clements taxonomy treat it as a separate species, Megascops centralis. [2] [5] [4] [6] However, BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World treats it as being embedded within M. vermiculatus vermiculatus, the nominate subspecies of vermiculated screech owl. [7] [8]
The Chocó screech owl is 20.5 to 27 cm (8.1 to 10.6 in) long; two specimens weighed 106.7 and 121.5 g (3.76 and 4.29 oz). It has gray and rufous color morphs and many individuals' plumages are intermediate between the extremes. The gray morph has a grayish white facial disc with blackish bars and a faint black edge, indistinct whitish brows above yellow to red-orange eyes, and short but distinct "ear" tufts. The upperparts are brownish gray mottled with black and buff. The folded wing shows irregular white spots along the margin. Its chin is white and the rest of the underparts white to buffy white with narrow black bars and buffy to gray mottling. The rufous morph is rufous brown above with much less mottling than the gray morph and the undersides are shades of brown. [3]
The Chocó screech owl is found from central Panama into northwestern Colombia and in a narrow band of western Ecuador. It inhabits the interior and borders of humid primary and secondary forest in lowlands and foothills. In elevation it ranges as high as 1,575 m (5,167 ft) in southwestern Ecuador but is usually found below 1,000 m (3,300 ft). [3]
The Chocó screech owl is usually found in the forest mid-story, but its foraging behavior has not been documented. Its diet is assumed to be large invertebrates and small vertebrates like that of other Megascops screech owls. [3]
The Chocó screech owl's breeding season appears to be January to March, based on the one nest that has been found and the collection of a female with a partially formed egg. The nest was in a natural cavity in the trunk of a dead tree. The bottom of the cavity contained bark, wood dust, dry leaves, pellets, remains of prey, and eggshell fragments. [3]
The Chocó screech owl appears to have only one song, in contrast to most other screech owls that have primary (territorial) and secondary (courtship) songs. It is described as "short...trill with a rapid pace" that starts on an even pitch and then drops. The volume varies throughout. [3]
The IUCN has not assessed the status of the Chocó screech owl as a separate species, but includes it with the Middle American screech owl (M. guatemalae). Though it appears to tolerate some habitat disturbance, it is absent from forest fragments surrounded by agriculture. [3]
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 collared inca is a species of hummingbird found in humid Andean forests from western Venezuela through Colombia and Ecuador to Peru. It is very distinctive in having a white chest-patch and white on the tail. Like other hummingbirds it takes energy from flower nectar, while the plant benefits from the symbiotic relationship by being pollinated. Its protein source is small arthropods such as insects. It is normally solitary and can be found at varying heights above the ground, often in the open.
The black-headed parrot is a species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. Other colloquial names are black-crowned parrot, black-capped parrot, black-headed caique, and for subspecies P. m. pallidus, pallid caique. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
The rufous-banded owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
The Central American pygmy owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama.
The Pacific pygmy owl or Peruvian pygmy owl is a small "typical owl" in subfamily Surniinae. It is found in Chile, Ecuador, and Peru.
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 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 Middle American screech owl, also known as the Guatemalan 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.
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.
The Guatemalan pygmy owl is a small "typical owl" in subfamily Surniinae. However, some taxonomic systems consider it to be a subspecies of northern pygmy owl. It is found in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.
Screech owls are typical owls (Strigidae) belonging to the genus Megascops with 23 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 gartered trogon, also known as the northern violaceous trogon, is a bird in the family Trogonidae, the quetzals and trogons. It is found in Mexico, all of Central America, and Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
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, or possibly separate species, of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama.
