Mottled Owl

Strix virgata (Cassin, 1849)

Strigidae — Owls

Mottled Owl, Strix virgata, breeds widely across Middle America and South America. It is an owl of wooded country, including rainforest, woodland edges, dry thorn forest, pine-oak woodland, plantations and open land with scattered trees, and it also occurs near people in some places. The species reaches Mexico in the north and extends south to Brazil and Argentina, with records up to 2,500 m above sea level. It is a territorial bird with a round head and no ear tufts, and the plumage is mottled brown above with pale underparts marked by vertical streaks.

Order: Strigiformes
Family: Strigidae — Owls
Breeding range: Middle America, South America: widespread