Striped owl


The striped owl is a medium-sized owl with large ear tufts and a brownish-white facial disk rimmed with black. Its beak is black, and it has cinnamon-colored eyes. It has shorter, rounder wings than most of its close relatives. The upperparts are cinnamon with fine black vermiculation and heavy stripes. The underparts are pale tawny with dusky streaks. It is native to South America and parts of Central America.
It has been placed in the genus Pseudoscops together with the Jamaican owl, or more rarely into its own monotypic genus Rhinoptynx, but molecular evidence indicates that it is a true Asio.

Description

The striped owl is a relatively large species with prominent tufts of elongated feathers on the crown resembling ears. It is long and weighs from. Its head, back, hot wings and tail are brown with black stripes and small markings while its underparts are buff-coloured with heavy black streaking on the breast. The facial disk is pure white with a thin black border.

Distribution and habitat

The striped owl is native to much of South and Central America. Its range is not well known, perhaps because it is nocturnal and not easily seen, but it is known from Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela. It uses a variety of habitats, including riparian woodlands, marshes, savannahs, grassy open areas, and tropical rainforests. It can be found from sea level to an altitude of and above.

Status

The striped owl has a very large range and its population is believed to be stable. It faces no particular threats and is classified by the IUCN as least concern.