| Spectacled Owl | |
|---|---|
| In the rainforest of Costa Rica | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Strigidae |
| Genus: | Pulsatrix |
| Species: | P. perspicillata |
| Binomial name | |
| Pulsatrix perspicillata (Latham, 1790) |
|
The Spectacled Owl, Pulsatrix perspicillata, is a large tropical owl. It is a resident breeder from southern Mexico and Trinidad, through Central America, south to southern Brazil, Paraguay and northwestern Argentina.[1] There are six subspecies.[2]
Contents |
The Spectacled Owl is found in Mexico, Central America (Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama), Trinidad and Tobago, and South America (Colombia; Venezuela, Suriname, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina).[1]
The Spectacled Owl is 46 cm (18 in.) long and weighs 850 g (1.9 lbs). It is unmistakable with brown upperparts, head and upper breast, white facial markings and buff underparts. The eyes are yellow and the beak is pale. The juvenile is even more distinctive than the adult, being completely white apart from a chocolate brown facial disc.
The Spectacled Owl is a nocturnal species of mature forests. It nests in an unlined tree cavity, laying two white eggs. It preys on mammals, even the much larger three-toed sloth,[3] large insects, and birds, including smaller owls. The call is a deep hooting BOO Boo boo boo boo becoming softer and faster.
The following subspecies are currently recognized:[2]