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Whiskered screech owl facts for kids

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Whiskered screech owl
Megascops trichopsis.jpg
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Genus:
Megascops
Species:
trichopsis
Subspecies

See text.

Megascops trichopsis map.svg
Synonyms

Otus trichopsis

The whiskered screech owl (Megascops trichopsis) is a small screech owl found in North and Central America.

Description

Adults occur in 2 color morphs, in either brown or dark grey plumage. They have a round head with ear tufts, yellow eyes and a yellowish bill. The bird looks very similar to a western screech owl, but has heavier barring on the breast, and is slightly smaller in size.

Range and habitat

The whiskered screech owl's range extends from southeasternmost Arizona (the Madrean sky islands region) in the United States, southwards through Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, to north central Nicaragua. Their breeding habitat is dense coniferous or oak woodlands, and coffee plantations usually occurring at higher elevations than the western screech owl.

Behavior

These birds wait on a perch and swoop down on prey; they also capture targeted food items in flight. They mainly eat small mammals and large insects, with grasshoppers, beetles, and moths making up a large portion of their diet. They are active at night or near dusk, using their excellent hearing and night vision to locate prey.

The most common call is a series of about 8 regularly spaced "boo" notes, slightly higher in the middle, slightly lower at each end.

3 to 4 eggs are usually laid in April or May, usually found in a tree cavity or old woodpecker hole 5 to 7 meters above the ground.

Subspecies

There are 3 recognized subspecies:

  • Megascops trichopsis aspersus Brewster, 1888
  • Megascops trichopsis mesamericanus (Van Rossem, 1932)
  • Megascops trichopsis trichopsis (Wagler, 1832)
  • "National Geographic" Field Guide to the Birds of North America ISBN: 0-7922-6877-6
  • Handbook of the Birds of the World Vol 5, Josep del Hoyo editor, ISBN: 84-87334-25-3
  • "National Audubon Society" The Sibley Guide to Birds, by David Allen Sibley, ISBN: 0-679-45122-6

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Autillo bigotudo para niños

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