Colombia Screech Owl
| Colombia Screech Owl | ||||||||||
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Colombian Screech Owl ( Megascops colombianus ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Megascops colombianus | ||||||||||
| ( Traylor , 1952) |
The Colombian screech owl ( Megascops colombianus ) is a species of owl belonging to the genus of the screech owls . It is native to Colombia and Ecuador . The taxon was described in 1952 by Melvin Alvah Traylor junior as the subspecies Otus ingens columbianus and transferred to the genus Megascops in 2003 at the suggestion of the South American Classification Committee .
description
The Colombia screech owl becomes 26 to 28 centimeters long. The males reach a weight of 150 to 156 grams, the females are a little heavier with a weight of about 210 grams. There is a gray-brown and a rust-brown morph . The Colombia screech owl is similar to the Salvin screech owl ( Megascops ingens ). However, it has a longer unfledged barrel. The shoulder stripes are often less noticeable and more beige-brown. The arm and hand wings as well as the underside have no white plumage markings.
Occurrence and habitat
The Colombian Screech Owl inhabits mountain cloud forests with dense undergrowth on the western slopes of the Andes from western central Colombia to northwestern Ecuador.
Way of life
Little is known about their way of life. It is nocturnal and feeds on large insects and small vertebrates.
status
Little is known about their population status. It lives in a restricted area that is endangered by deforestation.
literature
- J. Del Hoyo, A. Elliot, J. Sargatal (Eds.): Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 5: Barn-Owls to Hummingbirds. Lynx Edicions, 1999, ISBN 84-87334-25-3
Web links
- Megascops colombianus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2008. Accessed January 30 of 2009.