Guatemala Screech Owl
| Guatemala Screech Owl | ||||||||||
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Guatemala Screech Owl ( Megascops guatemalae ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Megascops guatemalae | ||||||||||
| ( Sharpe , 1875) |
The Guatemala Screech Owl ( Megascops guatemalae ) is a species from the family of real owls. It occurs in four subspecies exclusively in North and Central America.
Appearance
With a body size of about 20 to 23 centimeters, the mountain forest screech owl is a rather small to medium-sized species within its genus. It occurs in a gray and a red-brown color morph. In size and plumage it is more like the scribble screech owl . Unlike this species, however, the Guatemala Screech Owl has legs that are feathered to the toes. The tail is relatively long. The underside of the body has noticeable vertical stripes and some horizontal stripes. The face veil is conspicuously surrounded by a dark feather edge. It has relatively short feather ears . The face veil is limited by an indistinct, darker feather edge. The eyes are yellow. The beak is greenish olive.
Within its area of distribution, the mountain forest screech owl can be confused with the east , west , Oaxaca and mangrove screech owl as well as the scribble screech owl . However, these species all have feathered toes. The bare-leg screech owl is significantly larger and the lower legs are not feathered.
distribution and habitat
The distribution area of the Guatemala Screech Owl extends from Mexico to Belize, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras and the north of Costa Rica. It is a resident bird that inhabits moist to semi-arid forests and bushland. Their altitude distribution ranges from the lowlands to altitudes of 1,500 meters above sea level.
Way of life
The Guatemala Screech Owl is a nocturnal owl. It transmits in the dense foliage of trees or in tree hollows. It is very difficult to make out because of its good camouflage and is usually noticed by its shouts. Their food spectrum mainly includes insects and spiders. It often hunts at the edge of the forest or in clearings and has also been seen catching insects in flight. It nests in tree hollows and the clutch consists of two to three white eggs. Otherwise, their reproductive biology has not yet been studied in more detail. It is probably similar to that of other screech owls .
supporting documents
Single receipts
- ↑ König et al., P. 307
literature
- Claus König , Friedhelm Weick: Owls of the World . Christopher Helm, London 2008, ISBN 978-0-7136-6548-2
Web link
- Megascops guatemalae inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2014.