Bearded screech owl
| Bearded screech owl | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Strigidae |
| Genus: | Megascops |
| Species: | M. barbarus |
| Binomial name | |
| Megascops barbarus (P.L.Sclater & Salvin, 1868) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Otus barbarus (P.L.Sclater & Salvin, 1868) | |
The bearded screech owl (Megascops barbarus) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Guatemala and Mexico.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Description
Adults have a length of 16 to 20 cm and weigh about 70 g. The ear tufts are very small. There is a light brown and reddish-brown morph. The face veil is light with a thin dark border. The top has brown, white and black spots, the spots on the upper mantle are a strong white. The shoulder feathers have black-fringed whitish outer flags. The chest has a thick brown and yellow-brown banding. Flanks and belly are white and show dark shaft streaks. The barrel is feathered. The wings extend beyond the short tail. The iris is yellow. The beak is greenish-gray. The toes are pink-gray. Representatives of the reddish-brown patterned morphs are less strong and the markings on the top and bottom are reddish brown. Their call is a short fast trills 3:00 to 5:00 seconds duration, its volume increases at the beginning and end abruptly drops.
References
- ↑ BirdLife International (2013). "Megascops barbarus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.