Birds of Costa Rica

○   ←   STRIGIFORMES: Strigidae (Owls)   →
Genus: Megascops (4 species, 22 worldwide)

Genus Megascops, Screech Owls, are small owls, around 24 cm., which stay hidden during the day, and are usually only heard at night.



Tropical Screech Owl
Tropical Screech Owl (Megascops choliba)
ProAves Blue-billed Curassow Reserve, Puerto Pinzon, Boyaca, Colombia   		   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.
Widespread and common, and best identified by black border to facial disk, and the rising final note in song.
A grey and a rufous owl at a typical roost site.
Daytime shot from back.

Bare-shanked Screech Owl
Bare-shanked Screech Owl (Megascops clarkii)
Cartago, Prusia, Costa Rica   		   
Photograph by Jorge Obando Gutierrez   © Copyrighted, All Rights Reserved.

Bare-shanked Screech Owl
Bare-shanked Screech Owl (Megascops clarkii)
San Gerardo da Dota, Costa Rica   		   
Photograph by George Scott Photography   © All Rights Reserved.


Pacific Screech Owl
Pacific Screech Owl (Megascops cooperi)
Hacienda Tenorio-Cañas, Guanacaste, Costa Rica   		   
Photograph by Jorge Obando Gutierrez   © Copyrighted, All Rights Reserved.

Pacific Screech Owl
Pacific Screech Owl (Megascops cooperi cooperi)
Playa Panama, Guanacaste, Costa Rica   		   
Photograph by Jorge Obando Gutierrez   © Copyrighted, All Rights Reserved.


Middle American Screech Owl
Middle American Screech Owl (Megascops guatemalae)
Costa Rica
  Comes in brown and rufous morphs. Vermiculated means marked by wavy lines. 		   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Middle American Screech Owl
Middle American Screech Owl (Megascops guatemalae)
Yucatan, Mexico
  Rufous (not brown) morph. 		   
Photograph by Edward Boyd   © All Rights Reserved.
In 2023 the former Vermiculated Screech Owl was lumped with this species until they figure out the taxonomy of these similar screech owls.

© Tom Friedel - All Rights Reserved, except for images and data otherwise noted.       Colombia       Panama       Ecuador       Costa Rica       Mexico
Experimental sites:       Peru       Venezuela       The World       Brazil       Bolivia
Really Experimental sites:       Guyana       Cuba