Colombian Screech Owl

The Columbia Screech Owl ( Megascops columbianus ) is a species of owl from the kind of screech owls. It is native to Colombia and Ecuador. The taxon was described in 1952 by Melvin Alvah Traylor junior as a subspecies Otus ingens columbianus and transferred in 2003 to the proposal of the South American Classification Committee in the genus Megascops.

Description

The Columbia Screech is 26 to 28 inches long. The males can reach a weight of 150 to 156 grams, the females are slightly heavier, weighing about 210 grams. There is a gray-brown and a rust-brown morph. The Columbia Screech similar to the Salvin Screech Owl ( Megascops ingens ). However, it has a longer unbefiederten run. The shoulder stripes are often less noticeable and more beige brown. The arm and hand swing and the bottom do not have white plumage drawing.

Occurrence and habitat

The Columbia Screech Owl inhabits cloud forests with dense undergrowth on the western slopes of the Andes from west-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

About their population status is not enough awareness. She lives in a restricted area of ​​distribution, which is threatened by deforestation.