Mangrove Screech Owl

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Mangrove Screech Owl
Megascops cooperiPCSL15807B.jpg

Mangrove Screech Owl ( Megascops cooperi )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Owls (Strigiformes)
Family : Real owls (Strigidae)
Genre : Screech owls ( megascops )
Type : Mangrove Screech Owl
Scientific name
Megascops cooperi
( Ridgway , 1878)

The mangrove screech owl ( Megascops cooperi ), also known as the mangrove owl, is a species of owl from the genus of the screech owls . It occurs in the two subspecies Megacops cooperi chiapensis and Megascops cooperi cooperi in Central America.

description

The mangrove screech owl reaches a length of 25.5 centimeters. The weight is 145–170 grams. The face veil is light gray with pale dark rings bordered by white and dark brown feathers. The skull shows dark shaft markings. The top is tan-gray with a fine dark scribble and black shaft stripes. White spots on the shoulders form a light line. The elytra are lined with whitish. The hand and arm wings are banded. The underside is dirty white with a brown scribble and very narrow long black shaft stripes. The barrel is fully feathered. The toes are bristly. The iris is yellow. The beak is greenish with a creamy yellow tip. The young birds are gray-beige on the top and whitish on the underside. The chest is an intense tan with dark markings.

voice

The singing consists of up to 15 short notes that are produced in rapid series, rise towards the middle in pitch and then fall again. Sometimes short trills with u-pu-pu-pu-pu-pu or prr-pu-pu-PU-PU-PU-pu-pu as well as calls from a single deep coarse woof or whuh can be heard.

Occurrence and habitat

The nominate form Megascops cooperi cooperi occurs from southern Chiapas in southeastern Mexico to Guanacaste in northwestern Costa Rica . The breed Megascops cooperi chiapensis is native to the Mexican state of Chiapas. The mangrove screech owl inhabits dry woodland and semi-open land with scattered trees, shrubs, palms, Pachycereus pringlei and other cacti. It can also be found in swamp forests and on the edges of mangrove forests from sea level to an altitude of 1000 meters.

Way of life

The mangrove screech owl feeds on large insects including beetles, moths, and grasshoppers, as well as scorpions and small rodents. The breeding season usually begins in March during the dry season. The nest is built in tree holes or in old woodpecker holes. The clutch consists of three to five eggs. The young birds stay with their parents until the start of the rainy season.

status

The mangrove screech owl is not endangered. In Costa Rica, she lives in several protected areas, including Santa Rosa , Palo Verde, and Barra Honda National Park .

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

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