| Tawny-bellied screech owl | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Strigidae |
| Genus: | Megascops |
| Species: | M. watsonii |
| Binomial name | |
| Megascops watsonii (Cassin, 1849) | |
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| Synonyms | |
Otus watsonii | |
The tawny-bellied screech owl (Megascops watsonii) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. [3] [4]
The tawny-bellied screech owl was described by the American ornithologist John Cassin in 1849 and given the binomial name Ephialtes watsonii. [5] It was later placed in genus Otus and later still the New World members of that genus were transferred to Megascops. [6]
The tawny-bellied screech owl is part of a complex of species that includes the Santa Marta screech owl (M. gilesi), West Peruvian screech owl (M. roboratus), black-capped screech owl (M. atricapilla), and perhaps other undescribed species. Two subspecies are recognized, the nominate M. w. watsonii and M. w. usta. The latter has been suggested as a species in its own right. [6] [4]
The tawny-bellied screech owl is 19 to 24 cm (7.5 to 9.4 in) long. The nominate subspecies weighs 114 to 155 g (4.0 to 5.5 oz) and M. w. usta115 to 141 g (4.1 to 5.0 oz). The nominate has a dark buff facial disc with a thin darker border, dark buff brows over dark yellow eyes, and longish broad "ear" tufts. The crown and upperparts are dark gray-brown with black and buff spots and vermiculations. The tail has alternating brown and light buff bars. The breast is dark brown with small buff spots. The rest of the underparts are buff with black streaks and the belly also has faint white bars. M. w. usta has a similar pattern but is rufous overall and the underparts' streaks are broader. Its eyes are warm brown. It also occurs in brown and buff morphs. [4]
The nominate subspecies of tawny-bellied screech owl is found north of the Amazon River from eastern Colombia east through Venezuela and the Guianas and south through Ecuador into northeastern Peru and Amazonian Brazil. M. w. usta is found south of the Amazon in eastern Peru, northern Bolivia, and southern Amazonian Brazil to northern Mato Grosso. [3] [4]
The tawny-bellied screech owl inhabits the interior of lowland rainforest, mostly old growth and mature secondary forest. M. w. usta can also be found in altered forest along waterways and near human settlements. The species tends to favor undergrowth to the mid-story below 30 m (98 ft) high. It is seldom found above elevations of 600 to 700 m (2,000 to 2,300 ft) above sea level. [4]
Little is known about the tawny-bellied screech owl's feeding habits. It is nocturnal, forages at lower levels of the forest, and is believed to feed mostly on insects but possibly small vertebrates as well. [4]
Almost nothing is known about the tawny-bellied screech owl's breeding phenology. A nest was documented in September a hole in a dead palm; it contained a very young chick. Another nest held two eggs. [4]
The nominate tawny-bellied screech owl's primary song is "a long series of rapid notes, becoming faster and louder, then fading with [a] low trill." That of M. w. usta is similar but slower. The nominate's secondary song is a "brief series of short 'wu' notes"; that of M. w. usta is "thought to be fast series of 'bu' notes, slowing to [a] 'bouncing' rhythm". [4]
The IUCN has assessed the tawny-bellied screech owl as being of Least Concern. [1] Though it appears to be fairly common and widespread, it is poorly known, and because it requires mature forest, "the major threat to its survival must surely be destruction of its habitat." [4]
The buff-fronted owl is a small owl. It is found in widely separated areas in every South American country except French Guiana and Suriname.
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 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 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 rufescent screech owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
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 band-bellied owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
The montane foliage-gleaner is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
The eastern woodhaunter, also known as the Amazonian woodhaunter, is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
The rufous-rumped foliage-gleaner is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, and Suriname.
The Amazonian antshrike is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in every mainland South American country except Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
The flammulated treehunter is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in 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 Chocó screech owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found from central Panama to western Ecuador.
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.
