Tropical Screech-Owl (Megascops choliba)

Other Scientific Names
Otus choliba [BirdLife International (2004)], Otus choliba [Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)], Otus choliba [Stotz et al. (1996)]

Other Names (World)
Tropical Screech-Owl, Choliba Screech-owl, Tropical Screech Owl

Family
Strigidae (Typical Owls)

Size
22 - 25 cm

First Described (Guide)
(Vieillot, 1817)

Habitat
Subtropical and tropical lowland and montane moist forest, lowland dry and moist shrubland, dry and moist savanna. From sea-level - 2,800 m.

Range (Guide)

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay (B), Venezuela.

Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.

Population
Estimated population is unknown (2020) and stable.

Status LC
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Voice
Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (33)...)

Tropical Screech Owl (Megascops choliba) [XC480084]
by Benedito Pio da Silva Campos Neto from Sani Lodge, Sucumb\u00edos, Ecuador (song)

Tropical Screech Owl (Megascops choliba) [XC573739]
by Marcela Morales s\u00e1nchez from Rio Sucuri\u00fa, Tr\u00eas Lagoas, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil (song)

Subspecies
Relationships unclear. Appears to have no close affinities with any other Otus. Has in past included Koepcke's Screech-Owl (Megascops koepckeae) and Peruvian Screech-Owl (Megascops roboratus) as subspecies, but those both clearly distinct in morphology and/or vocalizations. Several additional subspecies described, probably only morphs or result of individual variation: montanus, kelsoi, alticola, caucae, guyanensis and portoricensis included in crucigerus; caatingensis in decussatus; chapadensis in nominate choliba; alilucoco in wetmorei.

The following 9 subspecies are recognised:

luctisonus (Bangs and Penard, 1921) - Costa Rica to north-western Colombia; Pearl Islands (Panama).
margaritae (Cory, 1915) - Margarita I, off northern Venezuela.
duidae (Chapman, 1929) - Duida Mts in southern Venezuela.
crucigerus (von Spix, 1824) - Eastern Colombia and eastern Peru across to Venezuela, Trinidad, the Guianas and north-eastern Brazil. Eastern Colombia to Venezuela, the Guianas, eastern Peru and north-eastern Brazil.
surutus L. Kelso, 1941 - Bolivia.
decussatus (Lichtenstein, MHK, 1823) - Central and eastern Brazil.
choliba (Vieillot, 1817) - Southern Brazil (southern Mato Grosso, S�o Paulo) to eastern Paraguay.
wetmorei (Brodkorb, 1937) - Western Paraguay and northern Argentina (south to Mendoza, northern Buenos Aires and northern Río Negro).
uruguaii Hekstra, 1982 - North-eastern Argentina, south-eastern Brazil (Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul) and Uruguay.

References
See References.

Files:

JPG files for Tropical Screech-Owl (Megascops choliba) - 10 files

More Information

BirdLife International

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